Teagan O’Dell will head to Cal this fall after helping Santa Margarita win CIF state team titles in all four of her high school years. Photo: smchsathletics / Instagram.com.
Record-breaking, multi-event swimmer Teagan O’Dell from Santa Margarita takes the honor of being the top overall athlete on the girls side for the 2024-25 school year. There have been single-sport swimmers selected for this honor in the past, but Teagan is the first one from Orange County since multi-gold medal winner Janet Evans in 1989. A leader of teams that won four CIF state team titles in all four of her years, O’Dell also just completed another busy week at the USA Swimming Junior Nationals with one first-place finish, two more in the top five and two more in the top three in relay events.
For a look at all of the other girls from the 2024-25 school year to be selected as a winner from each category plus lists of other top overall athletes, CLICK HERE.
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Going through the various top All-American swimming times for the 2024-25 school year or just following all of the events she was in during last week’s USA Swimming Junior National championships provided a glimpse into why recent Santa Margarita High grad Teagan O’Dell will go down as one the best girls’ swimmers in California history.
O’Dell isn’t just a freestyle swimmer. She’s had highly ranked times in the backstroke, butterfly and individual medley. It’s because of that versatility, her eagerness to compete for Santa Margarita at the CIF state championships and more is why Teagan has now been added to the list of Cal-Hi Sports Girls State Athletes of the Year.
The last swimmer to be on top of the state athlete of the year deliberations was Abbey Weitzeil of Saugus in 2015. If one counts track and cross country as similar or the same, the last time there has been an athlete of the year for the state who shined in more than one sport was Norco’s Sarah Willis for 2019-20. She was a softball pitcher and high-scoring basketball player.
Teagan is shown swimming in one of the two events in which she won a silver medal at the World University Games held in Germany in July. Photo: @CalWSwim / X.com.
The last Orange County swimmer to be the top girls athlete of the year was Janet Evans from El Dorado of Placentia. Evans, one of the USA’s all-time greatest female swimmers who handed the torch to Muhammad Ali to light the flame at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, was selected as the girls state athlete of the year for both 1988 and 1989.
So is it blasphemous to consider Teagan on the same level as Janet? One who doesn’t think so is longtime Orange County prep sportswriter Dan Albano, who has covered aquatics sports for the Orange County Register for many years.
“I believe Teagan is the best female high school swimmer in Orange County since Janet,” Albano said. “Teagan committed to racing an array of events and simply broke too many barriers and too many records not to be considered at least the best since Janet.”
There have been plenty of swimmers from OC since then, including some Olympians, and Albano was quick to mention that a couple of them were record-breakers at long-course swimming international events (such as Irvine’s Amanda Beard and El Toro’s Kaitlin Sandeno) compared to high school short-course yards.
In the recently posted lists of top times of the year in the nation by the National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association, O’Dell easily ranked first in the 200 individual medley at 1:53.43 (second best was 1:56.40). She also was second in the 200 free, fourth in the 100 free, second in the 100 back and ninth in the 100 fly.
That kind of multi-stroke success also was evident at last week’s USA Swimming Junior Nationals. O’Dell placed first in the 200 free finals in a wire-to-wire leading effort. She also was third in the 50 back and fifth in the 400 individual medley. Competing for the Pleasanton Seahawks club team, Teagan also helped relay teams place second in the 400 free, second in the 800 free and third in the 200 free.
Before going to the USA Swimming Junior Nationals (which were held not far from Santa Margarita at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center in Irvine), Teagan swam at the World University Games in Berlin, Germany, where she was second in the 200 and 400 IM (going up against mostly college swimmers).
“Teagan is the first O.C. girl to break 1 minute and 43 seconds in the 200 free, the first and only O.C. girl to break a minute in the 100 breaststroke and the first O.C. girl to break 51 seconds in the backstroke,” Albano said. “And on top of that, she’s the national record holder in the 200 IM, and holds county records in the 50 and 100 free.”
The Orange County Register recently named O’Dell as its girls athlete of the year for the second time in three years. And it’s been more than just personal bests and individual honors that has fueled her. Teagan obviously didn’t have to be part of the Santa Margarita team as a senior with all that she’s done, but she was and she won two events and led two relay teams to first-place finishes at the CIF state championships.
How many high school athletes have there ever been in any sport who have been able to say they’ve been on four straight CIF state championship teams in their four years of high school? O’Dell is one of them for sure.
Competing for the Pleasanton Seahawks near the Bay Area also should help O’Dell get settled for her freshman year coming up at Cal. She has family history from nearby Alhambra High in Martinez. We once saw her father, Dan O’Dell, play quarterback for the Bulldogs and he later played at San Jose State. Teagan’s great uncles, Norv and Ron Turner, were longtime NFL and college football coaches.
One year ago, O’Dell was considered as a finalist for the top statewide honor along with junior running sensation Sadie Engelhardt of Ventura and senior volleyball (beach and indoor) standout Charlie Fuerbringer from Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach. That one went to Engelhardt, who was the national runner of the year again in cross country last fall, but opted out of high school competition in track for the spring and also had an injury that caused her to miss events in the spring. This one went to Teagan and that’s good for the all-time list since they’re now both on it.
ALL-TIME CAL-HI SPORTS
GIRLS STATE ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
(Selected by Cal-Hi Sports)
Abbey Weitzeil, the last swimmer to be State Girls Athlete of the Year, was the top 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle swimmer for the USA in the 2016 Olympic Games. Photo: USASwimming.org.
2024-25 – Teagan O’Dell, Rancho SM Santa Margarita (swimming)
2023-24 – Sadie Engelhardt, Ventura
(track, cross country) Jr.
2022-23 – Juju Watkins, Chatsworth Sierra Canyon (basketball)
2021-22 – Dalia Frias, Manhattan Beach Mira Costa (track, cross country)
2020-21 – Paige Sommers, Westlake Village Westlake (track, pole vault)
2019-20 – Sarah Willis, Norco (basketball, softball)
2018-19 – Haley Jones, San Jose Archbishop Mitty (basketball)
2017-18 – Gracie Figueroa, Selma (wrestling)
2016-17 – Tara Davis, Agoura Hills Agoura (track)
2015-16 – Elena Bruckner, San Jose Valley Christian (track, volleyball)
2014-15 – Abbey Weitzeil, Saugus (swimming)
2013-14 – Kyla Ross, Aliso Viejo Aliso Niguel (gymnastics)
2012-13 – Chelsea Chenault, Concord Carondelet (swimming)
2011-12 – Kyla Ross, Aliso Viejo Aliso Niguel (gymnastics)
2010-11 – Maggie Steffens, Danville Monte Vista (water polo)
2009-10 – Ashton Purvis, Oakland St. Elizabeth (track)
2008-09 – Jordan Hasay, San Luis Obispo Mission Prep (track)
2007-08 – Jordan Hasay, San Luis Obispo Mission Prep (track) Jr.
2006-07 – Alix Klineman, Manhattan Beach Mira Costa (volleyball)
2005-06 – Jayne Appel, Concord Carondelet (water polo, basketball)
2004-05 – Jessica Hardy, Long Beach Wilson (swimming)
2003-04 – Candice Wiggins, La Jolla Country Day (volleyball, basketball)
2002-03 – Alyson Felix, North Hills L.A. Baptist (track)
2001-02 – Julia Pitts, Torrance North (volleyball, basketball, track)
2000-01 – Lashinda Demus, Long Beach Wilson (track)
1999-00 – Monique Henderson, San Diego Morse (track) Jr.
1998-99 – Rometra Craig, San Jose Mitty (basketball, tae kwon do, track) Jr.
1997-98 – Amanda Freed, Garden Grove Pacifica (volleyball, soccer, baseball)
1996-97 – Tayyiba Haneef, Laguna Hills (volleyball, basketball, track)
1995-96 – Kerri Walsh, San Jose Mitty (volleyball, basketball)
1994-95 – Marcy Crouch, Huntington Beach Marina (soccer, softball)
1993-94 – Suzy Powell, Modesto Downey (basketball, track)
1992-93 – Marion Jones, Thousand Oaks (basketball, track)
1991-92 – Marion Jones, Thousand Oaks (basketball, track) Jr.
1990-91 – Marion Jones, Oxnard Rio Mesa (basketball, track) Soph.
1989-90 – Lisa Leslie, Inglewood Morningside (basketball, track)
1988-89 – Janet Evans, Placentia El Dorado (swimming)
1987-88 – Janet Evans, Placentia El Dorado (swimming) Jr.
1986-87 – Michele Granger, Placentia Valencia (softball)
1985-86 – Terri Mann, San Diego Point Loma (basketball, track)
1984-85 – Elaina Oden, Irvine (volleyball, track)
1983-84 – Wendy Brown, Woodside (basketball, track)
1982-83 – Wendy Wyland, Mission Viejo (diving)
1981-82 – Denean Howard, Granada Hills Kennedy (track)
1980-81 – Cheryl Miller, Riverside Polytechnic (basketball)
1979-80 – Sherri Howard, Granada Hills Kennedy (track)
1978-79 – Cynthia Woodhead, Riverside Polytechnic (swimming)
1977-78 – Tracy Austin, Rolling Hills (tennis)
1976-77 – Linda Fratianne, Van Nuys Valley Professional (figure skating)
1975-76 – Jill Sterkel, Hacienda Heights Wilson (swimming)
1974-75 – Barbara Reinalda, Cerritos Valley Christian (basketball, softball)
1973-74 – Mary Decker, Orange (track)
1972-73 – Keena Rothhammer, Santa Clara (swimming)
1971-72 – Mable Fergerson, Pomona Ganesha (track)
1970-71 – Laura Baugh, Long Beach Wilson (golf)
1969-70 – Cathy Rigby, Los Alamitos (gymnastics)
1968-69 – Debbie Meyer, Sacramento Rio Americano (swimming)
1967-68 – Debbie Meyer, Sacramento Rio Americano (swimming)
1966-67 – Debbie Meyer, Sacramento Rio Americano (swimming)
1965-66 – Charlotte Cooke, Compton (track)
1964-65 – Peggy Fleming, Pasadena (figure skating)
1963-64 – Sharon Stouder, Glendora (swimming)
1962-63 – Donna de Varona, Santa Clara (swimming)
1961-62 – Carolyn House, Los Angeles Marshall (swimming)
1960-61 – Billie Jean King, Long Beach Poly (tennis)*
1959-60 – Chris von Saltza, Los Gatos (swimming)
1958-59 – Karen Hantze, San Diego Mission Bay (tennis)
1957-58 – Sylvia Ruuska, Berkeley (swimming)
1956-57 – Barbara Ann Roles, Arcadia (figure skating)
1955-56 – Mimi Arnold, Redwood City Sequoia (tennis)
1954-55 – Mimi Arnold, Redwood City Sequoia (tennis)
1953-54 – Carol Tait, Atherton Menlo-Atherton (swimming)
1952-53 – Barbara Stark, Lafayette Acalanes (swimming)
1951-52 – Paula Jean Myers, Covina (diving)
1950-51 – Maureen Connolly, San Diego Cathedral (tennis)
1949-50 – Maureen Connolly, San Diego Cathedral (tennis)
1948-49 – Marlene Bauer, L.A. unknown (golf)
1947-48 – Zoe Ann Olsen, Oakland (diving)
1946-47 – Zoe Ann Olsen, Oakland (diving)
1945-46 – Zoe Ann Olsen, Oakland (diving)
1944-45 – Nancy Chaffee, Ventura Academy of St. Catherine (tennis)
1943-44 – Jean Doyle, San Diego Point Loma (tennis)
1942-43 – Ann Curtis, S.F. Washington (swimming)
1941-42 – Ann Curtis, S.F. Washington (swimming)
1940-41 – Ann Curtis, S.F. Washington (swimming)
1939-40 – Margorie Gestring, Los Angeles (diving)
1938-39 – Esther Williams, L.A. Washington (swimming)
1937-38 – Margorie Gestring, Los Angeles (diving)
1936-37 – Margorie Gestring, Los Angeles (diving)
1935-36 – Peggy Graham, Beverly Hills (golf)
1934-35 – Margaret Osborne, S.F. Commerce (tennis)
1933-34 – Florence Chadwick, San Diego Hoover (rough water swimming)
1932-33 – Dorothy Poynton, L.A. Fairfax (diving)
1931-32 – Evelyn Furtsch, Tustin (track)
1930-31 – Alice Marble, S.F. Polytechnic (tennis)
1929-30 – Georgia Coleman, L.A. Polytechnic (diving)
1928-29 – Gloria Russell, Berkeley (track)
1927-28 – Georgia Coleman, L.A. Polytechnic (diving)
1926-27 – Georgia Coleman, L.A. Polytechnic (diving)
1925-26 – Helen Jacobs, Berkeley Miss Anna Head’s School (tennis)
1924-25 – Eleanor Garatti, San Rafael (swimming)
1923-24 – Helen Jacobs, Berkeley (tennis)
1922-23 – Helen Wills, Berkeley Miss Anna Head’s School (tennis)
1921-22 – Helen Wills, Berkeley unknown (tennis)
1920-21 – Helen Wills, Berkeley unknown (tennis)
1919-20 – Helen Wills, Berkeley unknown (tennis)
*Known as Billie Jean Moffitt while in high school.
Note: All selections prior to 1978-79 done retroactively through research by our founder, the late Nelson Tennis.
Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow Mark on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle: @CalHiSports
