Last year, when Sarah Dorn climbed up onto the 1-meter diving board for the final time in 2025, all she was hoping to do was execute.
As she sprang off the board and plummeted down towards the water, she contorted her body to make another perfect entry into the water. Her last as a Hawk. As she sank, all she heard was muffled applause. It was over. Dorn rose out of the water with a school record for a nearly perfect score.
Las Positas hasn’t always been known as a perennial powerhouse in the pool, but after last season’s record-breaking conclusion and a positive start to the 2026 season, there is hope swirling around the program.
The Las Positas swim and dive team had a solid season last year, with a few all-state-worthy performances. Dorn set a school record while multi-sport star Ainsley Wade was behind her in the state. This year’s team will be looking towards Wade’s experience to propel the program towards more top finishes. Caroline Guidi, another Hawk who swam in the state championship, will also be returning for another year alongside Wade.
The men’s team didn’t have a clear-cut one or two last season, but rising sophomore Logan Borelli will be looking to change that.
Las Positas may not be known for its prowess in the pool, but the program has been building over the past couple of years. Record holder Dorn has accounted for three of the six medals gathered in the past three years, with Wade earning bronze in 2025 and Zach Zauhar-Kurr earning gold and bronze in 2024. If the program can continue building upon placements on the podium in important meets, the Hawks can continue to climb the ranks of the competitive California junior college ranks.
Flash forward to Jan. 31, 2026 — the Hawks no longer have their school record holder and one of the program’s leaders. Dorn is one of nine departures from the 2025 Hawks roster. There will be 16 new swimmers for the women’s team. As well as the absences of Amy Heath and Mackenzie Duffin, who both posted top-three times for their team in multiple events.
The Hawks will have five important returners, though. Wade, who was the No. 4-ranked diver in the country in the 1-meter, will lead the team. She’s looking to take Dorn’s spot for the state championship watch.
Sophomore Caroline Guidi, who was the team’s top butterfly and individual medley swimmer in the 2025 season, will also be returning. Sophomore Ashley May, who was the team’s leader in backstroke events, will be returning to help Wade and Guidi lead this team back to postseason success.
With the team saying goodbye to their No. 4-ranked diver in the nation and school record holder, Wade will be looking to elevate herself and her teammates around her. Wade is no stranger to dominating for the Hawks in the pool, but also on the hardwood in the fall for the Women’s Volleyball team. Wade led the Hawks volleyball team in kills and ranked sixth in the state in kills per set despite a 2-8 conference record.
While the women’s team has a healthy amount of second-year hawks to support the newcomers, the men’s team has a heavy presence of new swimmers. Adjustment is crucial for the men’s team.
Returning is Larwence Thomas, who was one of their top swimmers in freestyle, individual medley and backstroke events. Thomas placed sixth in the 200-meter butterfly at state in 2025 and earned the 12th-best in the country honors after the season, one of the top swimmers in the Bay Area.
Redshirt sophomore Logan Borelli was one of the team’s best swimmers in 2024, participating in the 50- and 500-yard backstroke. He also took on the 200- and 400-meter Individual Medley in the state championship.
Sophomore Daniel Melhaff, a new Hawk, swam in multiple new events for the opening meet. Melhaff took a few years away from the pool to take a break and wind down from the constant grind of swimming, but is looking to get back into the groove of things with head coach Jason Craighead.
“When I spoke to the coach, he said, ‘We know what you can do, we know what you are good at,’” Melhaff said. In high school, Melhaff specialized in the 50 and 100 freestyle events. On Jan. 30, Melhaff swam the 100-meter backstroke and 200-meter freestyle — much longer events than he is used to.
“I’ve been used to sprinting my entire life. It’s a whole different ballpark,” Melhaff said.
When the Hawks step on the pool deck for each meet this season, they won’t have their school record holder stepping up onto the board to execute her team’s first dive. They won’t have Duffin or Heath, their top swimmers in every stroke besides breaststroke. What they will have is new faces filling the lanes, ready to push Las Positas back into state championship conversations.
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TOP PHOTO: The Hawks lost several key members. But this season represents a fresh start with plenty new faces, A few returning sophomores will lead them. (Photo by Lily Grice/ The Express)
Carson Pfotenhauer is a staff writer for The Express.
