FRESNO, Calif. – Junior Lilla Kapinya and freshman Mackenzie Terry each qualified for two championship finals while Riley Wood and Landen Didriksen picked up an 'A' and 'B' final, leading St. Francis on the first day of action at the Sierra Foothill League swimming championships at Granite Bay High Thursday.

The 2026 league championship meet holds an unusual format: boys' and girls' varsity trials on Thursday, boys' and girls' junior varsity trials on Friday, with all finals taking place in a longer session on Saturday. Previous years had all girls' events on the first day, all boys on the second, with the Saturday serving both fields.

Kapinya led the 50-yard freestyle prelim with a 24.09 time, then finished second in the 100 free behind only Granite Bay's Tessa Gardin. Kapinya touched home in 53.16, Gardin in 52.47.

Meanwhile, Terry won her heats in each of the 200 individual medley and the 100 breaststroke, She went 2:14.50 in the IM to nab the No. 6 seed in Saturday's final, while her 1:08.33 in the breaststroke to rank fourth in the trials going into the weekend.

Wood finished seventh in the 100 backstroke at 1:02.86, while her 13th in the 200 free (2:03.10) puts her in Saturday's consolation final. Didriksen snatched the eighth slot in the 100 breaststroke as the only 'A' varsity final with two Troubadour entrants. She will lead the field in the 200 IM consols, with her 2:20.19 finishing ninth on Thursday.

Finally, Lena Moggan and Lillian Damrell each earned two second swims in 'B' finals on Saturday. Moggan finished 15th in the 200 free (2:05.17) and 13th in the 100 fly (1:04.34). Damrell came home in 15th in the 100 free (57.86) and will join Moggan in the 100 fly consol after placing 11th overall (1:03.04) in Thursday's trial.

St. Francis will also field teams in the three relays: 200 medley to lead off Saturday's action, the 200 free midway through the session, and 400 free as the finale.

Saturday's championships also determine All-SFL honors. The winners of any individual event garners first-team distinction, while the runner-up in each is named to the second team. Additionally, every member of a winning relay foursome will also pick up first-team All-SFL honors.

The diving portion of the SFL championship took place earlier on Thursday at Whitney. Piper Bates and Stella Cassidy finished second and third, respectively, giving St. Francis 33 team points. Bates also locked up second-team All-SFL acclaim for her runner-up finish, per league rules.

The JV trials begin at Granite Bay on Friday at 4 p.m. Saturday's finals begin at 9 a.m., also at GBHS.

2026 SIERRA FOOTHILL LEAGUE VARSITY SWIMMING TRIALS
Granite Bay High School (Granite Bay, Calif.)
Events with SF entrants only • Winner plus SF finishers listed

GIRLS' 200 FREESTYLE VARSITY - 1. Abigail Landers, Del Oro, 1:51.18… 13. Riley Wood, 2:03.10; 15. Lena Moggan, 2:05.17; 22. Savannah Hamilton, 2:19.40.

GIRLS/ 200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY VARSITY - 1. Abby Cenizal, Davis, 2:08.93… 6. Mackenzie Terry, 2:14.50; 9. Landen Didriksen, 2:20.19.

GIRLS' 50 FREESTYLE VARSITY - 1. Lilla Kapinya, St. Francis, 24.09… 19. Mikayla Magri, 26.89; 25. Elyse Pometta, 28.16; 28. Savannah Hamilton, 28.48; 33. Juliet Shah, 29.26; 35. Maya Wenceslao, 29.65; 41. Kaylin Amiri, 30.62.

GIRLS' 100 BUTTERFLY VARSITY - 1. Abigail Landers, Del Oro, 55.73… 11. Lillian Damrell, 1:03.04; 13. Lena Moggan, 1:04.34; 22. Meredith Little, 1:09.47.

GIRLS' 100 FREESTYLE VARSITY - 1. Tessa Gardin, Granite Bay, 52.47… 2. Lilla Kapinya, 53.16; 15. Lillian Damrell, 57.86; 30. Elyse Pometta, 1:03.61; 33. Milena Bonnici, 1:05.80; 35. Juliet Shah, 1:05.84; 36. Meredith Little, 1:05.94; 38. Rose Haag, 1:06.24; 41. Kaylin Amiri, 1:09.03.

GIRLS' 100 BACKSTROKE VARSITY - 1. Kiera Menna, Davis, 57.15… 7. Riley Wood, 1:02.86; 21. Maya Wenceslao, 1:12.33; 22. Milena Bonnici, 112.34.

GIRLS' 100 BREASTSTROKE VARSITY - 1. Irelyn Kennedy, Davis, 1:03.70… 4. Mackenzie Terry, 1:08.33; 8. Landen Didriksen, 1:10.16; 12. Mikayla Magri, 1:11.54.