Malibu Seawolves swimmers Kennan Hotchkiss and Alec Wilimovsky had impressive performances at the Dec. 15-18 California—Nevada Speedo Sectionals meet in Yucaipa.
Hotchkiss, 16, also a standout Malibu High swimmer, placed fourth in the 1,650-meter freestyle with a time of 15 minutes, 55.59 seconds. Wilimovsky, also an accomplished triathlete, finished the race two spots behind Hotchkiss in 16:05.48. Hotchkiss placed 11th in the 500-meter freestyle in 4:39.69. Wilimovsky finished 13th in the race. His time was 4:41.16.
Hotchiss also finished fifth in the 1,000-meter freestyle.
A few days before the meet, Seawolves coach Max Jaben said the two swimmers entered the event with hopes of qualifying for Junior Nationals and making it to the sectional’s finals.
“They have both trained very fast in workouts,” he said.
Hotchkiss’ performances come before the start of the Malibu High swim team’s season this spring. Hotchkiss placed seventh in the 500-meter freestyle at the CIF Southern Section Division 3 Swimming and Diving Championships for the Sharks last season.
Wilimovsky has been training with the Seawolves during the offseason of the professional triathlon circuit. The 2015 Malibu High graduate placed second in the Nautica Malibu Triathlon on Sept. 17. The expert swimmer, runner and cyclist competed in just under 15 races in Austria, Barbados, Bermuda, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Italy, Spain, Hungary and the U.S. earlier this year.
Jaben said Wilimovsky training with the Seawolves has been great. He said the triathlete is easy to coach and works hard.
“Not once has he turned away from a difficult set and he always shows up ready to push himself,” Jaben noted.
The owner of the club swimming team also added that watching Wilimovsky and Hotchkiss train together reminds him of the times when Wilimovsky and Hotchiss’ older brother, University of California-Santa Barbara swimmer Logan Hotchkiss, would work out together during their senior year at Malibu High two years ago.
“For being a triathlete, Alec swims very fast and for him to return to train with our team means he likes what our program is about and thinks we can continue his progress as a triathlete, which means a lot to our staff and swimmers,” Jaben said.
At the Dec. 8-10 Los Angeles Swimming Novice Championship in Pacific Palisades, the Seawolves swam off with seven top-three finishes.
Ally Burke finished first in the 10 & Under 50-meter breaststroke. Ally, Wiley Murphree, Izzy Morris and Allegra Barzan placed first in the mixed 10 & Under 200-yard medley relay. Additionally, Maxim Podgore, Luke Webster, Tijes Kline and Alana Guiterrez topped the 11 & Over 200-yard medley relay.
Emerson Marler placed second in the 8 & Under 25-yard backstroke and Izzy finished at the same spot in the 10 & Under 50-yard butterfly.
Izzy also finished third in the 10 & Under 50-yard backstroke. Tijes placed third in the 11 & Over 50-yard butterfly and third in the 11 & Over 50-yard backstroke. Cooper Sweetmore placed third in the 8 & Under 25-yard freestyle.
At the Winter Age Group Championship in Huntington Beach, also on the Dec. 8 weekend, Ranger Murphree set a new team record in the 100-yard backstroke with a blazing time of 1:19.74. Marcel Hurtubise, a Malibu High senior and swim team member, set a new Seawolves record with a time of 55.09 in the 100 butterfly, placing 17th in the race.
Additionally, Seawolves alumni Logan Hotchkiss made historic waves at the Husky Invitational Meet in Washington for his UCSB swim team on Dec. 1-3. Hotchkiss, a junior, broke three team records at the event. The former Malibu High swimmer and CIF champ swam 1:34.93 in the 200-meter freestyle, 4:15.09 in the 500-meter freestyle and 15:03.60 in the 1650 freestyle. He now holds three UCSB records. Hotchkiss’ 1,650-meter freestyle swim also broke the Husky Invitational Meet record.
Jaben said Logan is a great example for the younger Seawolves.
“The younger kids are always so excited when he comes to visit our team over his holiday breaks, and he always takes time to talk and joke with them with a smile on his face,” he said. “I believe he sets the example that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. I remember when Logan was a skinny high schooler, dedicated to his training and was doing everything he could to make it onto a D1 NCAA team. Now, he is the best swimmer at UCSB.”
