Cypress High School’s swim team opened its season with strong performances across multiple levels with early wins from the girls programs. The varsity girls team improved to 2-0, while junior varsity girls stood at 1-0. The boys teams, however, fell short in their first meets and started 0-2, coach Vy Nguyen said.
(photo by Min Bae)
Nguyen said upcoming competitions will test the team’s progress, especially against Villa Park. “They’ve been known to be a very good swim school and are one of the top schools in our division,” Nguyen said. She also pointed to a recent meet against El Modena as another challenge but emphasized her original goal for the season. “My overall goal is for those who are trying to get CIF times to achieve those marks during meets,” Nguyen said.
Junior Christian Iniguez said Oxford Academy remains one of the team’s toughest competitors, especially in relay events. “We are often head to head with them,” Iniguez said. “Last year it was closer in points, but we still came out on top. This year, we had a bit more points than them.”
Senior Joshua Han rose as a standout athlete, breaking multiple school records this season. Nguyen said Han is close to setting another record in the butterfly. The butterfly stroke is widely considered one of the most physically demanding events in swimming because it requires strength, endurance and technique.
Training is essentially one of the main focuses for the team, with practices centered on dives, and conditioning. Iniguez said he focuses on both sprint and distance preparation. “I usually compete in either sprint or long-distance races, so learning how to control my breathing and training my arms and legs helps me improve,” he said. “Coming to practice and staying dedicated is just as important.”
One of the team’s biggest accomplishments this season came at the Anaheim Union High School District relay meet, where Cypress swept all four divisions. “We won first place across all levels,” Nguyen said. “It’s all the schools in Anaheim competing against each other.”
Looking ahead, Iniguez said he is especially excited to compete against La Habra. “They’re known for being strong in water polo, so it should be a good competition,” he said.
With early success and challenges ahead, the Cypress swim team continues to train harder as the season progresses.
