Redwood Wins Central Section D2 Boys Swimming Championship

Central Section champions.

That's a title the Redwood High School boys swim team can take with them for the rest of their lives.

The Rangers won the 2025 Central Section Division II boys swimming championship on May 10 at Mission Oak High School, placing first place with 374 points in the 29-team field. Atascadero was second with 247 points. Tulare Union took third with 208 points.

"We knew we had a team that could win," Redwood head coach Eric Fuller said. "We have literally practiced for this meet in particular all season long. We knew we were gunning for Valley. The fact that my boys were so excited to swim this swim meet, it was awesome to see."

Redwood's championship performance was highlighted by its three relay teams, which swept all three races.

Tyson Phillips, Jude Sears, Wyatt Dean and Kelan Anderson teamed up to claim the 200-yard medley relay crown at 1 minute and 40.73 seconds, nearly a second faster than the second-place grouping.

"They set the pace by winning it," Fuller said.

Then in the 200-yard freestyle relay, Cody Burton, Dean, Brett Peterson and Anderson took first at 1:28.34, improving by nearly 3 seconds off its prelim time of 1:31.16.

Those performances were punctuated by an outstanding outing in the 400-yard freestyle. Phillips, Peterson, Fenton Menard and Burton combined to finish first at 3:17.32, beating a Tulare Union second-place team by more than 4 seconds.

That 400-yard freestyle championship team also shaved nearly 5 seconds off its prelim time.

"The relays were something else," Fuller said. "I was amazed at the 400-freestyle relay. They came out with spectacular times. The 400-freestyle relay was really impressive. Those guys swam the fastest that they've swam all season long. They impressed me thoroughly. When they got done, my jaw was on the ground, 'How did they do that?' The 400 freestyle relay, they impressed me to no end."

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Redwood did not have an individual section champion, but the Rangers had all 17 of their entries qualify for the finals in at least one event.

The Rangers received 14 top-eight individual finishes:

• Dean (eighth, 200-yard freestyle; seventh, 100-yard butterfly)
• Peterson (third, 200-yard individual medley; second, 100-yard breaststroke)
• Ivan Rodriguez (fifth, 200-yard individual medley; eighth, 100-yard backstroke)
• Burton (third, 50-yard freestyle)
• Anderson (fifth, 50-yard freestyle)
• Axl Menard (fifth, 100-yard butterfly)
• Sam Noricumbo (eighth, 100-yard butterfly)
• Fenton Menard (sixth, 100-yard freestyle)
• Phillips (fourth, 500-yard freestyle)
• Sam Feierbach (seventh, 100-yard backstroke)
• Sears (fifth, 100-yard breaststroke)

"Other teams had faster guys, but we won as a team," Fuller said. "We literally won as a team. We got enough places in the finals and the consolation events, that we were able to score as a team to win the meet."

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Redwood's championship season capped off an outstanding head-coaching career for Fuller, who is retiring after 25 seasons.

Fuller, who took over the program from the legendary Frank Bell in 2000, led the Rangers to their second section championship in four years. Redwood also won the Central Section Division II plaque in 2022.

"After 25 years, we've had so much success here," Fuller said. "The kids that I've shared that time with, they've gone off, I've seen them gone off and create lives of their own, get married, have kids, it's been fantastic to share all those lives that I've influenced. Who swam for me. Sometimes, I get letters from the kids from the past thanking me, which touches my heart. It's really touching. To see these guys go off to the future as my last team, I can only wish them success."

El Diamante's Jaden Castillo wins diving championship

El Diamante's Jaden Castillo won the Central Section Division II boys diving championship.

Castillo scored a 513.05 to place first in the 13-diver event. Golden West's Mateo Sanchez was second with a score of 436.45 and El Diamante's Isaiah Groff came in third at 405.25.

This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Redwood wins Central Section D2 boys swimming championship