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Desert Empire League swim meet: Broken goggles, a stunning tie and a Rockettes routine

Shad Powers, Palm Springs Desert Sun
·8 min read

The Desert Empire League swim meet featured some record-setting wins and some heartbreaking losses, but the most memorable moment from the meet might have been a tie.

Many of the fans in the know around the La Quinta pool were looking forward to the boys' 500-yard freestyle race, pitting two of the top swimmers in the league in La Quinta's Tonalli Sanchez and Palm Desert's Logan DeGraeve.

The two titans went at it for 20 laps staying within striking distance of each other the entire time. It appeared that Sanchez may have inched ahead as they approached the wall, but DeGraeve was right in his hip pocket and used his long reach. They both touched the wall, and the coaches working the clocks erupted in disbelief. It was a tie. Twenty lengths of the pool and they both touched the wall at 4 minutes, 52.74 seconds.

Nobody could remember seeing a 500-yard race end in a tie for first place, although remarkably there was a tie for second place in the 500-yard race at last year's Desert Empire League meet.

"I kind of can't believe it.. That's just something you almost never see," said La Quinta coach Stephanie Henderson. "It's even weirder that it's basically happened two years in a row. You'll have to put that in the paper."

Palm Desert’s Logan DeGraeve smiles at La Quinta’s Tonalli Sanchez as the two realize they tied with a time of 4:52.74 in the boys 500-yard freestyle during the DEL individual swim finals at La Quinta High School in La Quinta, Calif., Thursday, April 28, 2022.
Palm Desert’s Logan DeGraeve smiles at La Quinta’s Tonalli Sanchez as the two realize they tied with a time of 4:52.74 in the boys 500-yard freestyle during the DEL individual swim finals at La Quinta High School in La Quinta, Calif., Thursday, April 28, 2022.

It was a wild moment in a meet that otherwise went pretty much according to Hoyle with the favorites picking up wins in almost every race and several swimmers going back-to-back, repeating as champions from the 2021 league meet.

The MVPs

For the first time in league meet history, the DEL awarded a girl and boy MVP for the league meet and presented them with a patch.

After the coaches deliberated, they came up with co-MVPs on the girls' side with La Quinta's Emmi Von Scheer and Palm Springs' Kay Pivonka.

Palm Desert's Lucas Brunett celebrates winning the boys 200-yard freestyle during the DEL individual swim finals at La Quinta High School in La Quinta, Calif., Thursday, April 28, 2022.
Palm Desert's Lucas Brunett celebrates winning the boys 200-yard freestyle during the DEL individual swim finals at La Quinta High School in La Quinta, Calif., Thursday, April 28, 2022.

Both are uber-talented seniors who have been mainstays in desert pools for years.

Von Scheer won the 200-yard freestyle (1:55.91) and the 500-yard freestyle (5:06.35), taking the latter race by 46 seconds.

Pivonka also was a double winner, collecting victories in the 100-yard butterfly in a blazing fast 1:01.55 and the 100-yard backstroke in 1:04.12. She was the winner in both events in 2021 as well.

On the boys' side, the coaches came to a unanimous MVP decision, with talented Palm Desert junior Lucas Brunett taking home the honor.

Palm Springs’ Kay Pivonka competes in the girls 100-yard butterfly during the DEL individual swim finals at La Quinta High School in La Quinta, Calif., Thursday, April 28, 2022.
Palm Springs’ Kay Pivonka competes in the girls 100-yard butterfly during the DEL individual swim finals at La Quinta High School in La Quinta, Calif., Thursday, April 28, 2022.

As he did last year, Brunett won the 200-yard freestyle, breaking his own league meet record with a time of 1:42.43. He also won the 100-yard freestyle in 46.01, also setting a league meet record by more than two seconds. Brunett rounded out his day by being on two winning relay teams.

"That was great. I was so excited, how could you not be? With the crowd, it just felt like a real swim meet again, I love it," Brunett said after winning the 100-yard race. "It's so nice being surrounded by this team that elevates me every single day. They are a huge part of me getting these two wins."

La Quinta’s Emmi Von Scherr competes in the girls 500-yard freestyle during the DEL individual swim finals at La Quinta High School in La Quinta, Calif., Thursday, April 28, 2022.
La Quinta’s Emmi Von Scherr competes in the girls 500-yard freestyle during the DEL individual swim finals at La Quinta High School in La Quinta, Calif., Thursday, April 28, 2022.

Speedy siblings

Palm Desert junior Ysabelle Loreno was a double-winner on Thursday, repeating as the 200-yard IM champion in 2:18.58 and adding a victory in the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:10.86.

Her older brother Matthew Loreno took the title for the Aztecs in the 100-yard backstroke in 55.90. It was the second year in a row he won the event, setting the league record in 2021 in 55.74.

Goggle drama

Another unusual moment came in the 200-yard IM. Odds-on favorite Tonalli Sanchez of La Quinta was in the starter's block when his goggle strap broke. He asked a girl standing nearby if he could borrow her goggles and she obliged. So he's putting on and adjusting these goggles he's never worn before and the buzzer sounds to start the race.

Apparently, they were pretty aerodynamic.

Sanchez won the race with a meet record time of 2:01.60. That also improved on the La Quinta school record he set earlier this year.

La Quinta’s Tonalli Sanchez competes in the boys 200-yard individual medley during the DEL individual swim finals at La Quinta High School in La Quinta, Calif., Thursday, April 28, 2022.
La Quinta’s Tonalli Sanchez competes in the boys 200-yard individual medley during the DEL individual swim finals at La Quinta High School in La Quinta, Calif., Thursday, April 28, 2022.

"I asked this girl behind me for her goggles and thankfully she gave them to me and I was right on the block and it was kind of a mess," he said. "It took my focus away and was kind of crazy for a second. After about the first 100, I got into my rhythm."

More winners

Palm Desert's Ben Hecht won the 50-yard freestyle in a league record time of 22.14 seconds as he edged Xavier Prep's Chris Moore.

Moore wasn't done though, as he regrouped to win the 100-yard butterfly in 58.65.

Rachel McCafferty picked up another win for the Saints, taking the 50-yard freestyle in 25.59.

Xavier Prep’s Rachel McCafferty smiles after winning the girls 50-yard freestyle during the DEL individual swim finals at La Quinta High School in La Quinta, Calif., Thursday, April 28, 2022.
Xavier Prep’s Rachel McCafferty smiles after winning the girls 50-yard freestyle during the DEL individual swim finals at La Quinta High School in La Quinta, Calif., Thursday, April 28, 2022.

Palm Desert's Aurora Prehara sped to victory in the 100-yard freestyle in 55.25 seconds.

Palm Desert junior Jordan Baker won the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:07.13.

It was part of an overall effort that saw the Aztecs win a hypothetical team title in both the girls' and the boys' competitions. Palm Desert girls finished with 479.5 team points with Xavier Prep second (421) and La Quinta third (307.5). The Aztec boys scored 555.5 points, with La Quinta in second (366.5) and Xavier Prep in third (311).

In the relay events, Palm Desert won the girls' 200-yard medley relay (1:59.10); the boys' 200-yard medley relay in which the team of DeGraeve, Loreno, Brunett and Hecht set a meet record in 1:39.98, the girls' 200 freestyle relay (1:47.70) and the boys' 200 freestyle with the same four boys setting another meet record (1:30.27).

The final event of the night saw the Xavier Prep girls team win the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:55.01) and La Quinta win the boys' version in 3:33.69. Before that final boys' relay, all 24 competitors put their arms around the shoulders of the racer next to them and they all did a Rockettes style kick-line much to the delight of the crowd.

Shad Powers is a columnist for The Desert Sun. Reach him at shad.powers@desertsun.com.

DEL Swim Meet

GIRLS EVENTS

200 medley relay: 1. Palm Desert (1:59.10), 2. Xavier Prep (1:59.95), 3. Palm Springs (2:04.45)

200 freestyle: 1. Emmi Von Scheer (LQ) 1:55.91, 2. Aurora Prehara (PD) 1:59.62, 3. Rachel McCafferty (XP) 2:02.25

200-yard IM: 1. Ysabelle Loreno (PD) 2:18.58, 2. Abigail Eldridge (XP) 2:26.35, 3. Riley Brunett (PD) 2:27.17

50-yard freestyle: 1. Rachel McCafferty (XP) 25.59, 2. Maggie Benson (XP) 26.41, 3. Julia Freedberg (PS) 27.26

100-yard butterfly: 1. Kay Pivonka (PS) 1:01.55, 2. Janine Nunez (PS) 1:14.67, 3. Kristen Masters (LQ) 1:14.69

100-yard freestyle: 1. Aurora Prehara (PD) 55.25, 2. Niamh Cooper (XP) 57.19, 3. Maggie Benson (XP) 58.27

500-yard freestyle: 1. Emmi Von Scheer (LQ) 5:06.35, 2. Samantha Schuessler (PD) 5:52.68, 3. Isotta Pirisinu (SH) 5:58.73

200-yard freestyle relay: 1. Palm Desert (1:47.70), 2. La Quinta (1:53.31), 3. Xavier Prep (1:54.57).

100-yard backstroke: 1. Kay Pivonka (PS) 1:04.12, 2. Abigail Eldridge (XP) 1:04.54, 3. Riley Brunett (PD) 1:06.56

100-yard breaststroke: 1. Ysabelle Loreno (PD) 1:10.86, 2. Niamh Cooper (XP) 1:17.81, 3. Danika Plastino (XP) 1:19.83.

400-yard freestyle relay: 1. Xavier Prep (3:55.01), 2. La Quinta (4:08.34), 3. Palm Springs (4:09.89).

BOYS' EVENTS

*200 medley relay: 1. Palm Desert (1:39.98), 2. La Quinta (1:50.98), 3. Xavier Prep (1:52.84)

*200 freestyle: 1. Lucas Brunett (PD) 1:42.43, 2. Logan DeGraeve (PD) 1:47.61, 3. Nico Buono (PD) 1:56.85

*200-yard IM: 1. Tonalli Sanchez (LQ) 2:01.60, 2. Matthew Loreno (PD) 2:05.14), 3. Kai Macros (PD) 2:12.46

*50-yard freestyle: 1. Ben Hecht (PD) 22.14, 2. Chris Moore (XP) 22.92, 3. Ethan Ramos (LQ) 23.28

100-yard butterfly: 1. Chris Moore (XP) 58.65, 2. Kai Macros (PD) 59.16, 3. Franco Calixto (PS) 59.33

*100-yard freestyle: 1. Lucas Brunett (PD) 46.01, 2. Ben Hecht (PD) 48.62, 3. Ethan Ramos (LQ) 52.59

500-yard freestyle: 1. Tonalli Sanchez (LQ) AND Logan DeGraeve (PD) 4:52.74, 3. Jack Reardon (XP) 5:20.84

*200-yard freestyle relay: 1. Palm Desert (1:30.27), 2. Shadow Hills (1:41.58), 3. La Quinta (1:43.57)

100-yard backstroke: 1. Matthew Loreno (PD) 55.90, 2. Sean Sese (PD) 1:01.22, 3. Jack Reardon (XP) 1:02.26

100-yard breaststroke: 1. Jordan Baker (PD) 1:07.13, 2. Luke Ivy (LQ) 1:10.86, 3. Jack Baker (PD) 1:11.50.

400-yard freestyle relay: 1. La Quinta (3:33.69), 2. Xavier Prep (3:36.49), 3. Palm Desert (3:37.45)

*-New Desert Empire League record

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Desert Empire League swim meet: Broken goggles, a stunning tie and a Rockettes routine