Northwood High School’s boys swim team won the CIF State Division I championship on May 17, earning its second state title since 2018 and defeating runner-up Clovis West High by 19 points. 

Northwood delivered strong team relay performances, most notably a second place finish in the 400-yard freestyle relay. The team, composed of freshman Eli Siniak, junior Andrew Maksymowski and seniors Will Chen and Derek Hitchens, finished with a time of 2:59.14.

Hitchens, committed to Columbia, led the team in individual events, placing second in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 47.67 and fifth in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 21.21.

“My older brother went to Northwood and graduated in 2018, and he actually won state,” Hitchens said. “So it’s always been a dream of mine to try to repeat it, and now that I’ve been able to accomplish that my senior year as well, I’m just really happy.”

University of Texas Austin commit Maksymowski contributed fourth-place finishes in the 200-yard freestyle and the 500-yard freestyle. 

According to swim coach Alex Nieto, this win is a testament to the team’s growth each year. From placing out of the top 10 in 2022, the team climbed to fourth place the following season and went on to become CIF state runner-ups last year. 

“It’s a proud moment for the kids and it’s a proud moment for the legacy that they continue to create,” Nieto said. “That just perpetuates the hard working culture that we want to see out there and we didn’t have anything to stop it, not even a closed pool.”