The West Alameda County Conference (WACC) championships proved to be a milestone meet for Piedmont High School, highlighted by record-breaking performances, personal bests, and a historic team victory.
Head coach Elizabeth Dally called the meet “a huge success,” noting strong performances across the roster. “The non-club kids had great last races for the season, and many of our club swimmers will be advancing to NCS,” Dally said.
Leading the charge was the boys medley relay team, which delivered a standout performance with a time of 1:31.81, setting a new Piedmont High School record while also breaking both the WACC and CIF North Coast Section Championships records. The 200 medley relay lineup featured Asher Takazawa (backstroke), Cole Carnazzo (breaststroke), Connor Carnazzo (butterfly), and Nik Costello (freestyle).
All three boys relay teams, the medley, 200 freestyle, and 400 freestyle qualified for the NCS championships. On the girls’ side, the medley and 400 freestyle relay teams also secured spots at NCS.
Individually, Piedmont swimmers posted an impressive slate of results. Dima Secor set a new school record in the 200 individual medley with a time of 1:54.40. Asher Takazawa recorded personal bests in both the 100 backstroke (51.15) and 100 butterfly (50.71), while Connor Carnazzo also notched two best times in the 50 freestyle (21.81) and 100 butterfly (50.66).
Sofia Vuori turned in strong performances with personal bests in the 50 freestyle (26.97) and 100 freestyle (58.99), and Charlotte Zhang added a best time of 1:00.14 in the 100 freestyle. Sam White led the girls team in scoring with 40 points, while Nik Costello and Ryan Mak tied for the boys’ high point honors with 40 points each.
The meet marked a historic achievement for the program, as the Piedmont boys captured their first-ever WACC team title. “I am extremely proud of their hard work this season,” Dally said, adding with a laugh, “I’m very happy they did not throw me into the pool in celebration.”
Looking ahead, Piedmont will compete at the NCS championships, with eyes set on advancing to the state meet. The boys medley relay enters NCS as the top seed, fueling optimism for a spot at the CIF State Swimming Championships.