Flintridge Prep swimmer Langen heads to state

For a second straight year, interest in the two-day, season-ending CIF State Swimming and Diving Championships was pretty low among local swimmers – and beyond, it would seem.

Unlike last year, though, the area didn’t completely balk at the second-year event as Flintridge Prep junior Andreas Langen will head north to the Clovis Olympic Swim Complex for the two-day championships, which start Friday.

Though athletes from Crescenta Valley High, Glendale, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy and Flintridge Prep all earned qualification, only Langen decided to take part.

“We are excited for the opportunity to compete and to see the competition up north,” Flintridge Prep Coach Ingrid Herskind texted.

Action on Saturday gets started at 2:30 p.m. and Langen is slated to compete in both the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle races.

Langen enters after turning in a stellar effort at Thursday’s CIF Southern Section Division III finals at Riverside City College.

Langen captured the 50-yard freestyle in 21.46 seconds, which was a state consideration mark.

Later at Riverside, Langen finished runner-up in the 100 freestyle with a state automatic and All-American consideration mark of 46.65.

Langen is seeded 34th in the 50 and 23rd in the 100.

“He hopes to drop a bit more time by working on fine-tuning his start and turns,” Herskind added.

Maybe the area’s biggest winner at last week’s championships is skipping state.

Glendale High junior Trenton Julian, the All-Area Swimmer of the Year, captured Division II championships in both the 100 butterfly (47.88) and 200 freestyle (1:36.21) races in state and All-American automatic times.

Julian confirmed Tuesday evening that he has higher aspirations.

“I decided I won’t be going, but that I’m going to get back to training,” said Julian, a Rose Bowl Aquatic product. “I qualified in both my events, but I have to get back to all out training.”

Julian’s efforts and focus for the immediate future will be squarely on the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Omaha, Neb, which run from June 26 to July 3.

Julian is hoping to earn a berth to the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil. Before then, the Nitro will compete in the Speedo Grand Challenge from May 27-29.

Flintridge Sacred Heart’s Christina Campbell also qualified in the 200 freestyle race and 100 backstroke, but will skip a trip to the San Joaquin Valley.

“Christina has decided not to go to Fresno and that’s fine,” said Flintridge Sacred Heart Coach Steve Bergen, whose squad bypassed the inaugural meet last year. “Last season with [All-Area Swimmer of the Year] Kirsten [Vose], she didn’t go either and that’s their choice.”

The Tologs’ 200-yard freestyle relay squad is also declining an invitation.

As for Crescenta Valley, the Falcons had entrants for both the boys and girls.

“None of my guys are going up and the girls declined on Saturday at the Division II finals,” Crescenta Valley boys Coach Jan Sakonju said. “I think we only had one relay team, but the girls had a few. I think most of our athletes are satisfied with what was accomplished at CIF.”