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San Marin High School’s varsity swim team holds a roster of 64 boys and girls, who have spent hours practicing and setting personal records while preparing for the Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) championship swim meet. They competed against seven other high schools on May 1 and May 2. All swimmers were invited to compete in the MCAL meet on Friday, May 1, while on May 2, the finals took place and only the top 16 swimmers advanced to the finals. This allows them to showcase skills in events such as the 200 and 50 freestyle and the 200 individual medley. The top contestants will advance to the North Coast Section (NCS) with qualifying times.
This year, the team’s goal is to go beyond personal records and build deep team connections. Preparation began with two-hour-long pre-season practices starting in early January at the Novato High School pool. These practices focused on building team connections as well as performance.
Girls’ swim captain Reese Cordero has been a member of the swim team for four years.
“I’ve seen the team grow a lot in terms of closeness and support,” Cordero said. “ [In] my first year, it felt more divided between older and younger swimmers. Now there’s more encouragement across all grades and skill levels.”
Sophomore Jonathan Melendez Arias joined the team as a first-time swimmer and believes San Marin’s structured practices prepared him for success in the 2026 swim MCAL meet as well as motivated him to join the local swim club, the Rolling Hills Stingrays.
“San Marin swim practices help me improve on myself for events,” Melendez Arias said. “The consistency is allowing me to build new swimming skills, and makes me want to continue swimming outside of school.”
As the season concluded at the 2026 MCAL meet, the San Marin boys’ team placed second overall, while the girls’ team finished overall in fifth. With improved times and deeper team connections, a new foundation continues to grow, setting new standards for both the current and future program.
