PREP SWIMMING / CIF RELAYS : Woodbridge Wins Team Title, Sets Relay Record

The Woodbridge boys’ swimming team walked away with the Southern California Relays title Saturday night, and its 200 backstroke relay team broke a Southern Section record at Belmont Plaza Pool.

Just edging second-place Marina, Woodbridge secured the team victory in the last event, the 200 medley relay. The victory, in 1 minute 40.34 seconds, gave the Warriors a 222 points. Marina finished with 206, and defending champion El Toro was third with 182.

Loyola led for three-fourths of the race. But the Woodbridge team of Yan Gendlin (backstroke), Tunch Doker (breaststroke), Justin Steinhauser (butterfly) and Dawson Hughes (freestyle) came back to win it behind Hughe’s anchor split of 21.24 seconds.

Marina had led by two points heading into the final event.

The backstroke relay was timed in 1:38.74, more than a second faster than the previous section record, 1:39.88, set by Mission Viejo in 1988.

With a fast leadoff swim of 23.53, Derya Buyukuncu put Woodbridge ahead by a body length, and strong swims by Andrew Lazenby, Gendlin and Hughes allowed them to hold onto the lead.

“I knew we had a good chance for the record,” Lazenby said. “The whole team came together, and we all pulled together for this on.”

“Deep inside, I knew these guys could do it,” Woodbridge Coach Dan Gaines said. “We have some awesome swimmers, and they were so close in the preliminaries.”