SAN JOSE >> Santa Cruz County qualified a hearty group of swimmers for the Central Coast Section Championships at Independence High. By the end the boys’ prelims on Thursday, Soquel High senior Oliver Santana was the only local remaining.

Santana, who will compete for New York University next season, advanced to the finals on Saturday in two individual events, the 100-yard butterfly and 100 breaststroke.

Santana was seeded third in the 100 fly with a time of 50.31, but set a new personal best of 49.98 to win his heat with the third-fastest time of the day, which qualified him for the A Final and assured him a top-eight finish overall. Only Archbishop Mitty junior Enzo Balbuena (48.73) and Palo Alto senior Roan Haney (49.88) were faster during qualifying.

“It’s going to take a 48 to beat Enzo,” Santana said. “He’s one of my good friends; we’ve been swimming against each other since we were, god, it must’ve been 8 or 9 years old. Known the guy a long time.”Santana narrowly missed making the A Final in the 100 breast. He set another PR, finishing in 57.60 for the ninth-fastest mark in the prelims. He was seeded ninth with a time of 57.76. He’ll compete in the B Final, meaning he can place anywhere from ninth to 16th on Saturday.

“I’m going to try to get my junior national cut, I believe it’s a 48-mid in the 100 fly,” he said. “Ideally I want to win it, make it to state, and do as good as I can in the breast.”

Santana has vastly improved since he first made CCS as a freshman. He’s looking to qualify for the CIF State Championships for the first time.

“I think I’ve become a more cerebral swimmer, more intentional with everything I do,” he said.

Santa Cruz County had rough go of things at the prelims. It had relay teams and individuals disqualified in five events for various rules infractions.

Many of the CCS qualifiers are year-round swimmers, but that didn’t prevent them from dealing with nerves. They’ve put in countless hours for this moment, and hoped their efforts would be good enough to advance to the finals.

Some swimmers socialized with teammates and friends under logoed canopies as they worked the legs with massage guns. Others opted for silence, so they could get in the right mental space. And dozens of others swam laps to warm up for their next race, or warm down, after competing.

Whatever they were doing, the fed off the crowd’s cues and paid attention when something extra special was taking place in the water.

The King’s Academy junior Nathan Foucu blazed through the 200 free in a CCS-record 1:35.40. He broke Sam Shimomura’s record of 1:35.86, set when the Santa Cruz resident competed for Bellarmine College Prep in 2012.

Valley Christian junior Yury Kuzmenko broke the record in the 100 free with his 43.44 finish, topping the mark set two years ago by Ethan Harrington (43.47) of Palo Alto. Foucu posted the second-best time in the prelims (44.04).

Kuzmenko swam the 50 free in 19.87 and was three-tenths of a second off tying the section record.

Santana also garnered heavy attention.

“Feels like I’m a big fish in a smaller pond,” he said. “I don’t want to say small pond because there’s some people going crazy here, but I feel like I’m a bigger fish that I have been in the past. It’s fun.”

He also teamed with senior Cassius Wolf, junior Stryder Stelk, and sophomore Gabriel Suarez Abraham for 18th in the 400 free relay (3:21.14)

Wolf, a hulking water polo talent who is built like Muhammad Ali in his prime, also took 33rd in both the 50 free (22.19) and 100 free (48.78).

Soquel (sophomores Mateo Paiva and Raphael Suarez Abraham, and freshmen Tyler Hawes and Jax Nolan) took 42nd in the 200 medley relay (1:49.23).

The Knights were DQ’d in the 200 free relay.

Aptos junior Elijah Souza took 26th in the 50 free (21.93), 37th in the 100 free (49.03) and also competed in two relays.

Souza went against some big guns in the 50 free, the fastest race of the meet.

“I have to focus on my race, this is my thing and I have to do what I can do,” Souza said. “It’s just so fast. It happens so fast it’s just like the blink of an eye. I’m gassed. I have to warm down and get ready for my next one.”

The Mariners (seniors Gavin Abundis and Jack Widman, Souza, and sophomore Peter Friedley) took 21st in the 200 medley relay (1:41.86). Senior Thomas Westfall, Abundis, Friedley, and Souza took 31st in the 400 free relay (3:26.23).

Scotts Valley senior Brent Kong took 25th in the 500 free (4:48.72), 26th in the 200 free (1:44.68), and also competed in two relays. He teamed with freshmen Torsten Ingesson, Ty Gomez and Brandon Kong for 35th in the 200 free relay (1:33.64). The Falcons were DQ’d in the 400 free relay.

Brent Kong, who will compete for Caltech in Pasadena next year, didn’t enjoy the benefits of a full warmup for his first event, the 200 free. He pretty much showed up just in time to compete after finishing an International Baccalaureate test at Scotts Valley.

It wasn’t the 50, but Kong felt like his races were sprints, too. He plans to swim longer distances in college, like the 1,000 and 1,650.

“I like the 5, but I’ll start doing more distance,” he said. “The 200 is still pretty hard, really hard on the endurance. It’s like a sprint but not really a sprint.”

Santa Cruz freshman Martin Cruz took 22nd in the 100 breaststroke (58.85) and 36th in the 200 individual medley (2:05.23). He also competed on two relays.

Cruz is a member of Quicksilver with several other county swimmers and competes in plenty of competitions. Still, the prelims were an eye-opener.

“Usually it’s not this fast,” he said. “Since I got out age group and started competing 15-18, it’s kinda been like this. I’m just getting used to not winning my events. It’s definitely good motivation, I guess.”

Cruz had aspirations of beating Santana in the 100 breast, but the Knights’ senior had plans of his own.

The Cardinals (seniors Pa’ Kalani Saxton-Vaca and Matthias Cruz, Johnson and Hunter) took 32nd in the 200 free relay (1:33.28)

Martin Cruz teamed with juniors Hayden Johnson and Tate Wilson, and sophomore Xavier Hunter for 38th in the 400 free relay (3:30.48). The Cardinals’ 200 medley relay team was DQ’d, and freshman Jack Yoshimura was DQ’d in the 100 backstroke.

Harbor senior Elias Keen Server took 27th in the 50 free (21.95) and 39th in the 100 backstroke (57.10). He also competed on two relays. Keen Server teamed with senior Logan Manildi and juniors Kasper Berg Mills and Kai Henrikson for 32nd in the 200 medley relay (1:43.98). The Pirates were DQ’d in the 200 free relay.

Monte Vista Christian freshman Finn Workman took 41st in the 500 free (4:56.78) and Mustangs sophomore Peyton Sanchez took 42nd in the 100 butterfly (55.03). Workman and Sanchez teamed with junior Tyler Gill and sophomore Jue Huang for 38th in the 200 medley relay (1:44.88).

The girls’ prelims take place at Independence on Friday at 3:30 p.m.

MVC’s Easton Alanis will compete in the mixed 50 free final on Saturday. Competition begins at 1:30 p.m.