Claire Tuggle Torches CIF Central Division 2 Records At Section Championships

2022 CIF Central Section D2 Championships

• May 6-7, 2022
• Sierra Pacific High School, Hanford, CA
• SCY (25 yards)
• Meet Central
• Full Results (PDF)
• CIF State Championship Psych Sheets

Claire Tuggle, one of the top-ranked female swimmers in the high school class of 2022, was a dominant force at the recently-concluded CIF Central Section Division II Championships, giving her some momentum heading into this weekend’s state championships.

The Saint Joseph High School senior annihilated the D2 records in the girls’ 200 free (1:46.33) and 500 free (4:44.46), taking the 200 mark down by over seven seconds and the 500 by more than 14.

The previous record stood at 1:53.87, set by Khloe McCarthy in 2015, and Tuggle initially lowered it in the heats (1:48.18). In the 500, the previous record sat at 4:58.59 from Alexa Wong last year. Tuggle first broke the mark in the prelims in 4:48.37.

Tuggle, who has committed to swim at Virginia in the fall, owns respective best times of 1:44.96 and 4:41.36 in the 200 and 500 free. In March, Tuggle produced the second-fastest swim of her career in the 200 in 1:45.46, while her 500 time here marked a new season-best.

The 17-year-old heads into the state meet seeded first in the 500 free by four seconds, while she sits second in the 200 behind Santa Margarita senior Justina Kozan.

Tuggle added a 51.23 anchor leg on Saint Joseph’s 400 free relay, though they missed the final in 17th place.

In 2019, competing for Clovis North High School as a freshman, Tuggle won the Central Section Division I titles in the 200 and 500 free, and then won the 500 free state title while placing second in the 200.

The Templeton High School girls (238 points) and Redwood High School boys (251.5 points) won the overall CIF Central Section Division II team titles.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

• Tulare Union junior Ava Olson set a new Division II record in the girls’ 200 IM, clocking 2:05.02 in the prelims to break the mark of 2:05.11 set by Mallory Korenwinder in 2014. Olson went on to win the final in 2:05.24, and was also the runner-up to Tuggle in the 500 free with a time of 4:59.72.
• Fowler High School senior Parker Dominguez swept the boys’ sprint freestyle events, setting new D2 records in the process. Dominguez clocked 20.96 in the 50 free prelims to break the 19-year-old record of 21.14, set by Joe Whittington back in 2003. Dominguez would match Whittington’s old record to win the final, and then he won the 100 free in 46.61 to down Steven Chapman‘s previous record of 46.82 from 2017.
• Despite being just a freshman, Claire Tuggle‘s younger brother, 14-year-old Max Tuggle, won the boys’ 200 IM in 2:02.65, hitting a best of 2:01.89 in the heats.