Sharks swim to top finishes at League Championships

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2006
Tallula Murphree. Photo by Steven Lippman.

Malibu High swimmers also competed in the CIF Southern Section Division 3 Championship

Members of the Malibu High Sharks boys and girls swim teams swam to 11 first-place finishes at the Citrus Coast League Swimming Championships at Carpinteria High School in late April.

Girls swimmer Tallula Murphree, a junior, finished first in four events at the league championship, while her teammate, sophomore Nina Sichta placed tops in the three swims. Boys swimmer Filip Kurial, a senior, swam to two first-place finishes, and the girls relay squad finished atop two races.

Murphree placed first in the 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 200 medley relay, and 400 free relay. Sichta swam to top placements in the 100 fly, 200 medley relay, and 400 freestyle relay. 

Kurial, a senior, finished first in the 50 freestyle and 200 IM. The girls relay team — Ally Burke, Izzy Morris, Murphree, and Sichta — garnered first place finishes in the 200 medley relay and the 400 freestyle relay.

The Malibu girls team finished second in the seven-team league championship, while the boys squad placed third.

Murphree and Kurial were co-Citrus Coast League MVPs with Nordhoff’s Melina Seider and Quin Seider. 

Sharks swimmers also competed in the CIF Southern Section Division 3 Championship at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut early last month. 

Murphree finished seventh in the 200 freestyle finals at the championship. She placed 10th in the 500 freestyle finals. Kurial finished eighth in the 50 freestyle finals and sixth in the 100 freestyle finals. Sophomore girls swimmer Ceylon Zappa placed 18th in the 100 breaststroke finals. 

In the preliminaries, Ranger Murphree, a junior and Tallula’s brother, placed 24th in the 100 backstroke. Additionally, a quartet of Tallula Murphree, Zappa, Sichta, and freshman Olivia Wild-Mullarkey placed 26th in the girls 400 freestyle relay and 24th in the 200 medley relay.