2025 Meet #5: Heritage Park Seals @ South Irvine Dolphins
Meet Report: Meet # 5 – Heritage Park Seals @ South Irvine Dolphins
Date: July 26th, 2025
By: Nate Williams, Co-President
On Saturday, July 26th, the South Irvine Dolphins hosted the Heritage Park Seals in their fifth and final dual meet of the 2025 season. The excitement was buzzing on the pool deck from the very beginning as Dewey the Dolphin rallied the pod into formation to encourage all to have their best meet yet! Meanwhile, the Seals waddled onto the pool deck ready to show off their speed and agility! The Seals were strong swimmers, known for their endurance and fast flip turns. They weren’t about to back down just because they were in Dolphin territory. Event after event, the teams battled fiercely. The Seals and the Dolphins gave it everything they had. Even the halftime coaches relay and legendary jeans relay were competitive and fun to watch! In the end, the Dolphins rose to the occasion and excelled in the face of adversity! The two teams celebrated together in the end – they knew it was about fun, teamwork, and respect for each other!
A few of the highlights from the meet:
- The Dolphins recognized Coach Declan Edwards on his last day of the season in style by making a special announcement about his 20+ years of commitment and shared celebratory cake with everyone on the pool deck. Declan, who is an ISL legacy swimmer and key member of the coaching staff, has poured his heart and soul into this team every summer since the age of 5. Declan will be missed, but we wish him all the best as he moves on to his next chapter: Med School.
- Lukas Molander had a time drop of massive proportions in the Boys 5-6 25 Back that had the pool deck buzzing! Lukas dropped over 23 seconds! What a swim, Lukas!
- Keilani Aban improved in all three events that she swam, including dropping nearly 5 seconds in the Girls 9-10 50 Back! Way to go, Keilani!
- Ava Craver had a hat trick of her own, dropping time in each of her three events including dropping nearly 8 seconds in the Girls 9-10 100 IM! Wow, Ava!
- Kynsley Espiritu improved and won all three of the events she swam: the Girls 13-14 50 Back, 50 Breast, and 50 Free! Amazing job, Kynsley!
- Rachel Lin improved her time in all three of her events: the Girls 9-10 50 Back, 50 Breast, and 50 Free! Way to go, Rachel!
- Coach Diego Tarry practiced what he preaches to his swimmers by dropping time in each of the three events he swam: the Men 15-18 50 Fly, 100 IM, and 50 Breast! Excellent job, Coach!
Congratulations to all the swimmers who saw time improvements in their swims! Each time improvement earns a Dolphin dollar to be spent at the Dolphins Store!
Look who’s getting faster! The following is the list of swimmers who recorded new individual time improvements: Keilani Aban, Pasha Bassiri, Helena Blanco, Emmie Brandes, Drew Chen, Katherine Chow, Ava Craver, Callahan Espiritu, Cassius Espiritu, Kynsley Espiritu, Shaw Fournier, Isla Henderson, Ella Jalili, Milan Kaprealian, Sienna Kaprealian, Charlene Kim, Noelle Kim, Iyla Kissinger, Sebastian Ladjevardi, Mia Lee, Olive Lee, Joshua Lerner, Noah Li, Rachel Lin, Carina Lin, Claire Liu, Dominic Liu, Aria Moaven, Lukas Molander, Bryce Morales, Lina Putterman, Shana Riazi, Matin Shakernia, Mila Shakernia, Avi Shmurak, Jacob Shmurak, Noah Shmurak, Stella Singer, Carlo Soriano, Abby Suh, Diego Tarry, Aaban Tehrani, Mateo Tirado, Ava Toft, Thomas Wen, Reese Williams, Becca Wolf, Skylar Yeh, Sophie Yu, and Elle Zitzman. What a huge list!
Congratulations on a great meet against the Heritage Park Seals! The Dolphins return to action in two weeks to bring out their best swims at the 2025 ISL Championships at Woollett Aquatics Center on Saturday, August 9th.
Remember to sign up for Champs by the Monday, July 28th deadline!
See you all on deck!
Nate
