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MISSION VIEJO — Huntington Beach standout sprinter Caden Cunningham seemed to have several reasons to be downcast at the CIF Division 1 swimming prelims Wednesday.

Sidelined with a broken hand from a freak injury suffered at the Wave League finals last week, the senior watched from the pool deck as the races went on without him at the Marguerite Aquatics Complex.

But Cunningham remained remarkably upbeat and introspective as he attended the prelims with his arm in sling.

“I’ll be back,” he said. “Everything happens for a reason.”

Cunningham broke his left hand in two places as he touched for the victory in the 50-yard freestyle last week at Golden West College.

He won the race in a lifetime-best 20.73 seconds but his hand slammed into the touchpad at a downward angle with some of his fingers separated.

“I’ve been swimming for 14 years and I’ve never finished like that,” Cunningham, 18, said. “(The touch) was a little too hard and close.”

Cunningham first thought he dislocated a knuckle in his middle finger. He still wanted to race the 100 freestyle but when reminded that he already had a Division 1 qualifying time, he left the meet to get an x-ray.

He underwent surgery on Tuesday.

“Who knew swimming could be a dangerous sport,” he said with a smile.

Cunningham would have been seeded fourth in the 50 free and 14th in the 100 free for the Division 1 finals.

And while he is disappointed that he missed CIF, he is looking forward to swimming in college. He plans to race for Golden West College next season.

Cunningham already knows the number of the physical therapy sessions until he can start training.

“Six weeks, and then I’ll be going over and training with Golden West,” he said.

NORTHWOOD SHOWS MORE SPEED

Northwood freshman Derek Hitchens qualified seventh in the 100 backstroke with a school-record 50.04. He broke Gabe Munoz’s 2017 school record of 50.17.

The Timberwolves also qualified their medley and 400 free relays for the Division 1 finals.

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SANTA MARGARITA’S ‘FUN PROBLEM’

Santa Margarita’s ultra-deep girls squad featured one swimmer — sprinter Ariel Lin — who posted an automatic CIF qualifying time in the 50 free but didn’t crack the team’s individual lineup at prelims.’

Lin, however, will be racing at finals.

She will leadoff the 200 free relay with a chance to earn All-America status in the 50 free.

“We try to keep as many people as happy as we can,” Eagles co-coach Rich Blanc said. “It’s a lot of management but it’s a fun problem to have.”