Hey Mesa Nation, and welcome back to this week’s article on The Hitching Post.
As of Friday, May 8th 2026, our CMHS girls swim team made history, being the first group of girls to win a CIF Southern Section swim meet. Mesa’s very own Tessa Tougas (Junior), Chloe Hills (Junior), Karolina Sangasy (Junior), Melanie Pang (Junior), Chloe Wool-Smith (Junior), Mia Walker (Sophomore), Emma Freeland (Freshman) and Dani Pang (Freshman), had walked into the prelims at Mt. Sac, not knowing that they were about to make school history.
The girls had an amazing start to prelims as everyone had qualified for finals, and relays qualified within the top 5, setting them to earn quite a bit of points. Coach Keith Ryan had told the girls that it was looking like they could very well be in the lead, but as Emma Freeland says, “None of us wanted to get our hopes up, but it was looking pretty good once prelims were finished.”
As the finals started, the girls 4×50 Medley Relay performed extremely well, placing first overall, setting the tone of the meet for success. Finalists Chloe Hills, Karolina Sangasy, Emma Freeland, Melanie Pang, and Chloe Wool-Smith all swam tremendously well, earning Costa Mesa the lead by 30 points before the meet was even halfway over. After Melanie Pang swam the 100 yard breaststroke, placing first, the girls knew that the win was theirs. By the end of the meet, the girls won by 58 points, after earning 222 for the Mustang win.
After the victory, I interviewed some of the girls, to see how they felt to be a part of school history. Freshman class’s Emma Freeland, who swam the 100 yard Butterfly final, and the 4×50 Medley relay was the first I heard from. “It was an amazing experience, especially as my first year on the high school team, to be a part of something this big. Our team comes from a small club team, which I believe puts us at an advantage since all of the girls are so close. It’s like we’re a family, and to win something this big of a deal with a tight group like this, it just makes it all the more special.”
Junior class’s Chloe Wool-Smith, who swam the 50 yard freestyle, 4×50 Medley relay, 4×50 Freestyle relay, and the 4×100 relay, also had spoken about the win. “Winning CIF was very exciting and I felt so lucky to be doing it with my favorite people. Honestly, the meet itself was high energy and hype which helped my team and I to go our best times. It was really refreshing to beat older school records and to have the spirit of the coaches behind us. Each race felt electrifying and nerve racking but in the end we won and I would say it was definitely well deserved!”
And lastly, also a part of the junior class, Karolina Sangasy, who swam the 50 and 100 yard freestyle along with both the 4×50 Medley relay and 4×50 Freestyle relay, talked to me about her success.
“It felt really surreal to win division 3 because I know that all the work I put in finally got me somewhere and I finally reached a long-term goal of mine. Swimming since I was 10 and getting to know my teammates through the high school season and throughout the years at club, has been such a huge blessing. I just know that each and everyone of us worked so hard to get to this very moment. I know how much I worked towards this achievement so I can only imagine how much everyone else worked towards it as well. We wouldn’t have been able to do it without each other because I know each of us contributed in our own ways and together we achieved this dream that we’ve been talking about for the past year. I honestly can’t even fathom that we still won. It hasn’t really clicked to me yet. That’s how crazy it is.”
Mesa Nation, if you see the girls around this week, or maybe walk by the pool, feel free to congratulate them. As time goes, school history is always being made, and it’s crucial that we support each other through the years. Go Mustangs!!
