Mater Dei boys, girls pace Orange County at Mission Viejo swimming, diving invitational

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Mater Dei’s boys and girls made sure Orange County aquatics was well-represented in the return of the Mission Viejo Invitational on Saturday.

The Monarchs’ girls placed third in the team standings after securing an individual title in swimming and diving. The boys finished fourth in the early-season meet at the Marguerite Aquatics Complex.

The tradition-rich invitatational returned for its 48th edition after not being held the past three years amid the pandemic and low turnout by schools.

Mater Dei senior Ella Roselli won the diving competition Friday with a school-record score of 563.60. The Indiana-bound Roselli outdistanced runner-up and reigning CIF-SS Division 1 champion Taylor Fox of San Juan Hills by almost 25 points.

The Monarchs also crowned the individual champion in the girls 500-yard freestyle. Senior Madeline Wheeler won the distance race in 5 minutes, 10.59 seconds, a near-match of her time (5:10.58) from prelims earlier in the day.

Wheeler also touched second in the 100 butterfly in 58.74.

Mater Dei’s girls scored 553 points in finishing behind Clovis North (605.5) and Campolindo (586.5).

The Campolindo boys posted 590 points to claim the team title after dueling Torrey Pines (575.5) and Clovis North (529.5). The Monarchs placed fourth with 418 points.

Sophomore Leonel Cerda helped pace the Mater Dei boys by placing second in the 200 (1:41.63) and 500 (4:37.12) freestyles.

Orange County produced three other individual champions.

Trabuco Hills freshman Eliza Taylor tied for first in the girls 200 individual medley with Clovis North sophomore Elliana Fitzgerald with a county-leading 2:05.67.

Taylor placed a narrow-second in the 100 free in 52.28, just behind Sophi MacKay of Acalanes (52.09).

Mission Viejo senior Joey Chang, an Army commit, won the boys 200 IM by more than two seconds with a county-leading 1:52.27. He touched second in a sizzling backstroke final with a 52.26.

San Clemente junior Nolan Rooker claimed the boys diving competition by more than 60 points with a score of 580.85.

Torrey Pines junior Logan Noguchi, a Princeton commit, blazed to meet records in the 100 butterfly (47.85) and 100 backstroke (48.14). He smashed both records by more than a second.