CONCORD, CA (Aug. 13, 2025) — Perhaps it is only a coincidence but when Dana Hills and Forest Park won A and B division, respectively at the 58th Concord Swimming Championships last month at Concord Community Pool, the meet’s longest serving coaches accepted the team trophies.

The dean of local recreation swimming coaches, Jeff Mellinger, has been leading the Forest Park program approaching three decades while his Otters counterpart Nikki Palmer has been with Dana Hills first as a swimmer, then junior coach, assistant coach, co-head coach and since 2021 head coach.

Continuity is a good trait in most endeavors and Otter and Flyer swimmers have that in their swim programs.

For Dana Hills, winning the City Meet championship has become the expectation as the Otters have won A Division 32 of the last 33 times while Forest Park had been without a Concord team title since 2017 when they last claimed the B crown. Over the years the Flyers have nailed down seven County swim championships, the most recent last summer in Division III.

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What was different for Dana Hills this year was that they dropped below 1000 points for the first time since 2010. Their 246-point margin over runner up Ygnacio Wood is the smallest since that year when Springwood trailed by 242 points in second place.

Palmer, who could not speak highly enough about the effort of her swimmers, mentioned that her 2025 team had a majority of swimmers in their “down” (younger) age year. The Otters took third at the subsequent County Meet, falling 8.5 points short of a second-place finish. The Otter team roster is packed with girls (Dana Hills girls were the top scoring at County) but lacks that same depth on the male side.

Highlighting that female swagger, the three Branich sister each won high point honors for Dana Hills at City Meet. Chooch (7-8), Charley (9-10) and Cole (11-12) each won three events for a maximum score of 27 points. Rory Lynch (7-8) and Ian Meyer (13-14) were Dana Hills boys to claim high point.

Cole Branich also set a new 11-12 50-yard butterfly Concord meet record of 28.12 while Maya Canada of Oakhurst established a new city mark in the 100 breaststroke of 1:06.71, bettering her record time of two years ago.

For Forest Park in B Division, six swimmers were high point and all those were critical for the Flyers to edge runner up Martinez Community Otters by 8.5 points. Martinez were defending B champions. Forest Park, high point winners on the girls side were Hilda Gutierrez Mendez (13-14) and Emma Tayas (15-18) while Jojo Williams and Landon Melton (6 & under), Elijah Vela (7-8) and Sawyer McKnelly (11-12) were boys high point.

Other high point boys B swimmers were Casey Leonard (9-10 Martinez), Ryan Li (13-14 Pleasant Hill) and Maddon Hertzfeldt (15-18 Walnut Country). The other B girls high pointers were Riley Battistelli (9-10) and Elise Roberts (11-12) from Oakhurst, Dahlia Galbraith (7-8 Martinez) and Mia Bartlett (6 & under Ygnacio Wood).

The outstanding relays at City Meet were the Oakhurst 15-18 girls freestyle of Zoe Lahanas, Kelsi Lindemann, Canada and Gianna Kougios and Dana Hills’ 13-14 boys free relay of Meyer, Ethan White, Ray Lucia and Brody Gianni.

Ygnacio Wood won the annual Sportsmanship Award.

Otters fall just short at County

Dana Hills had been first or second at County meet since 2021 but was edged out of the runner up spot this month by Springbrook Swim Team of Lafayette, falling 8.5 short of second. Rancho San Miguel of Walnut Creek won its second successive County Meet Division I championship.
Ygnacio Wood took fifth and Gehringer Park sixth in Division II. Oakhurst (10), Forest Park (15), Pleasant Hill Aquatics (17) and PH Dolfins (20) also placed in Division II. Walnut Country and Bishop Estates scored in Division III.

Eleven local swimmers took top five honors at county. Ygnacio Wood’s Johnson plus Chooch and Chaley Branich each duplicated their City Meet high-point award at county. Dana Hill’s Meyer in 13-14 boys and Cole Branich in 11-12 girls were third at County and Gehringer’s Joseph tied for fourth in 15-18 girls.

Other top local performers were Andie Waldron (6 & under girls fifth, Ygnacio Wood), Elizabeth Salinas (9-10 girls fifth, Dana Hills), Kayden Colis (11-12 boys fourth, DH) and Oakhurst 15-18 teammates Lahanas and Canada, tied for second.

Team Scores

A Division: Dana Hills Otters 884 points, Ygnacio Wood Seahorses 638, Gehringer Park Gators 610, Martinez Community Otters 594, Forest Park Flyers 346, Pleasant Hill Dolfins 353, Oakhurst Orcas 277, Walnut Country Stingrays 170, Bishop Estates Cudas 48.

B Division: Forest Park 372.5, Martinez Community 364, Pleasant Hill Dolfins 323, Ygnacio Wood 273, Gehringer Park 230, Oakhurst 194.5, Dana Hills 187, Bishop Estates 141, Walnut Country 133.