Josh Chi

GLENDALE — Jumping up a level to CIF Southern Section Division I has considerably diminished the presence the Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy swimming team will have at Friday’s final meet at Mount San Antonio College, compared to each of the last two seasons, when the Tologs were a force at the Division II finals. Crescenta Valley High’s boys’ team, on the other hand, has a good chance to advance a bigger group of swimmers to championship heats of Saturday’s Division II final than in previous seasons in Friday’s Division II prelims.

BOYS’ SWIMMING Pacific League Relays: Crescenta Valley High won six of the seven relay events at Burbank High on Friday to score 108 points and edge second-place Arcadia (88). “[Arcadia] had beaten us in a lot of the races [on Thursday in the Millikan relays at Belmont Plaza pool],” Falcons Coach Jan Sakonju said. “So today, the boys were definitely excited and ready to compete to set the tone for the league and they really stepped up their performances.

LONG BEACH — Yumi So couldn’t quite grasp the record she was really after at Tuesday’s CIF Southern Section Masters Meet — the national high school mark in the 100-yard breaststroke — but in the fashion that has come to define the Crescenta Valley High senior over her high school career, she didn’t leave without a record of some sort and a title. Like the majority of other entrants in Tuesday’s Masters Meet, an interdivisional meet that directly followed Saturday’s division finals, So wasn’t able to drop time from her Division II 100 butterfly win. Her time of 53.08 seconds was still a Masters Meet record and good for her second Masters title, but was .05 second higher than her Division II record time on Saturday and short of Misty Hyman’s 1996 national mark of 52.41.

BURBANK — For the members of the Crescenta Valley High boys' swimming team, Thursday's Pacific League final meet was about more than just beating the swimmers in the adjacent lanes — which the Falcons accomplished handily in winning all 11 events. This star-studded rendition of the perennial league power had its sights set on chasing down history and that meant racing against the league's best of the best from years past, as well. "They wanted to make a statement not only that they were the best team this year, but that they were the best team in the history of the Pacific League," Crescenta Valley boys' Coach Jan Sakonju said.

LONG BEACH — One of their relays set a record in CIF Southern Section Division II. One of their sophomores — Young Tae Seo — took home two individual titles and set a new benchmark in each event. And one of their juniors — Louis Wojciechowski — captured a championship, and finished second in another race. For a few members of the Crescenta Valley High boys' swimming team, Saturday's swimming and diving championships at the Belmont Plaza pool in Long Beach were unforgettable.

BURBANK — As two of the top boys' water polo teams in the Pacific League, Crescenta Valley High and Glendale may very well meet again this season with a league title on the line should both squads advance to the finals of the championship tournament in November. But on Tuesday afternoon at Burroughs High, the Falcons, who are the top-ranked squad in CIF Southern Section Division V, made it clear they aren't ready to cede their crown to any challenger just yet, using superb goalkeeping and a swift counter-attack to turn a close high-scoring match through the first half into a one-sided affair down the stretch for a 14-8 win. A balanced scoring effort led by five goals from Jack Snyder and three apiece from Robby Ruzicka and Louis Wojciechowski and 13 saves from goalkeeper Rane Colvin were enough to carry the Falcons (16-4, 4-0 in league)

LA CRESCENTA — No one has been able to stop the Crescenta Valley High boys' and girls' swimming teams in the first half of Pacific League competition this season. With the CIF postseason fast approaching on the horizon, the Falcons would like nothing more than to keep that momentum flowing in the second half of league. They certainly showed no signs of slowing down on Thursday, besting visiting Glendale, 135-34, on the girls' side and 125-46 on the boys', while winning every event.

LONG BEACH — With five swimmers qualifying for the 2010 CIF Southern Section Division II swimming and diving championships in six different events at Friday’s Division II prelims at Belmont Plaza pool in Long Beach, the Crescenta Valley High boys’ swimming team officially put its name into the title conversation. And with all three of its relay teams qualifying with strong swims on Friday, as well, the Falcons are looking more and more like a dark horse contender for the final meet, which will take place at 4 p.m. today at the same venue.

The top-10 male high school athletes of the year were voted on by the Glendale News-Press sports department. These are selections 2 through 10. See Thursday’s edition for the Male Athlete of the Year.   2 Dietrich Riley, St. Francis football/basketball, junior Dietrich Riley, St. Francis football/basketball, junior — The talented Riley had yet another successful season on the gridiron, in addition to helping the basketball program qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2005.