WALNUT — Oxford Academy’s Nathan Lee landed on a dreaded number during the preliminaries for the CIF-SS Division 2 swimming championships.

In the 500-yard freestyle, the senior finished 10th, one spot shy of qualifying for the championship finals.

Lee redeemed himself in a major way Friday in the finals at Mt. SAC.

He captured the 200 freestyle in a lifetime-best time of 1 minute, 38.34 seconds. His finish qualified him for the CIF State championships next week in Fresno.

Lee produced Orange County’s lone title in the division and narrowly missed the automatic All-America standard of 1:38.21.

The Boston University-bound swimmer pushed so hard in the race, he wasn’t able to fully complete his planned victory splash. After rising out of the water, he fell back into the pool without the expected smash.

“My friend told me to do it after I won but I was so tired, I gave up halfway through,” Lee said with a chuckle. “It was a win and it was a pretty big drop. First drop in a while actually.”

“In my head, I was just (thinking) all out,” he added. “Sprint, sprint, sprint. Go as fast as I can. Oh my goodness, it was hard.”

Lee split the 100 in 47.44 and held splits of 25.40 and 25.50 to finish strong. The SOCAL club swimmer outdistanced runner-up Inyoung Kim of El Toro (1:40.54) by about two seconds.

Lee also won the consolation final of the 500 free in 4:36.87, almost 4 1/2 seconds faster than his prelims time on Wednesday.

“I was pretty upset from that (10th place),” he said. “The (200 free) is my No. 1 event right now, so getting a win in that kind of made up for everything.”

Crean Lutheran’s Nolan Weijland, who trains with Lee at SOCAL, showcased his rise in the finals of the 500 free.

Racing next to Cerritos standout Anthony Dornoff, Weijland went out fast in an effort to stick close with the U.S. junior national team member. Weijland also unleashed his kick in the final two laps to finish second in a lifetime-best 4:31.15.

Dornoff, a sophomore, won in 4:29.29.

Weijland achieved an automatic state-qualifying time in the 500, an event that he doesn’t consider his best. He’s actually a breaststroker.

“(The 500) was never my top event,” Weijland said. “It’s probably my fifth, sixth, seventh-best event. Now it’s probably my second best.”

Weijland completed an unique 500 free-100 breaststroke double by finishing fourth in the latter in a season-best 56.86.

Huntington Beach’s girls 200 free relay found its own vindication.

Before the finals, the Oilers won a rare, second swim-off against Roosevelt for the 18th and final spot in the finals.

Huntington Beach’s team of Jayme Finnerty, Calla Wieczorek, Morgan Franzia and Maya Tovar then moved up one spot in finals to finish 17th with a time of 1:42.75.

In prelims, Huntington Beach and Roosevelt clocked matching times of 1:43.79 to tie for 18th. In the first swim-off, the schools tied again, forcing the second swim-off before Friday’s final.

“That’s one in million,” Tovar said of the double swim-off in a relay.

“The pressure made us buckle down and do better,” added Finnerty, a senior.

In team points, the Ayala boys (201) and Santa Monica girls (236) claimed section titles.

Brea Olinda (138) placed fifth to lead O.C. boys while Aliso Niguel (136) took seventh to pace the county girls.

Kyle Franks helped power the Wildcats by placing second in the 100 free in 45.91. The junior, who led Brea Olinda’s boys water polo team to a title in the same pool in the fall, splashed with excitement when he saw his time.

Aliso Niguel’s Devon Silberman touched second in the 200 individual medley (2:04.98) and 500 free (4:59.99).

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