As Expected, Mission Viejo Boys in Class by Themselves

LONG BEACH —  Armed with a group of world-class swimmers, the Mission Viejo boys seemed to be in a world of their own, competing more against the clock than other teams.

The defending champion Diablos made it look simple Friday at Southern Section Division I Swimming Championships at Belmont Plaza, winning the meet with 396.5 points. Santa Margarita was second (174) and Irvine third (147).

Mission Viejo won the first event, the 200 individual medley. Karl Hyross, Evan Ray, Agustin Guzman and Juan Rodela finished three seconds ahead of second-place Irvine, in 1:36.93.

“We’re not worried about this [meet],” Mission Viejo Coach Mike Pelton said. “We have senior [national] times we’re working to reach. That’s our goal here.”

In addition to the medley relay, the Diablos won the 200 and 400 freestyle relays.

In the individual events, Bart Kizierowski, who was named boys’ swimmer of the meet and will represent Poland in the Olympics, won the 50 and 100 freestyles in 20.56 and 44.61 seconds. His time in the 100 was was an All-American standard.

In the 100 backstroke, Mission Viejo’s Hyross won in 51.22 and teammate Rodela was second (52.39).

But while the Diablos dominated the team competition, there were outstanding individual performances.

Santa Margarita’s Philippe Demers had been dreaming of breaking Santa Barbara’s Brian Alderman’s 1986 record in the 100 butterfly since he was a freshman. And junior knew he would have to swim his lifetime best to do it.

At the start of the race, Demers had to push himself rather than count on a competitor to pace him because his prelim time was nearly three seconds faster than Mission Viejo’s Agustin Guzman.

“I told my history teacher Mr. Borowski this morning that I would set the record and I had a feeling I could do it,” Demers said.

And break it he did, finishing in 48.68, surpassing the record of 49.18.

“My goal was to do a 48,” Demers said. “I can’t explain the feeling. This is one of the best moments in my swimming career.”

Before the fly, Demers won the 200 freestyle in 1:37.54, which was the second-fastest time in the nation recorded this year.

Double-winner Steve Ronson of Irvine was short of breaking John Moffet’s 1981 section record of 55.24 in the 100 breaststroke. Ronson won the event in a lifetime best of 55.43. Ronson had the fastest prelim time, but Redland’s Steve Messner pushed the Irvine senior. Messner finished second in 55.46.

Messner also challenged Ronson in the 200 individual medley.

Though Ronson had a faster prelim time, he knows Messner tends to hold back in the preliminaries. At the start of the race, Ronson and Messner were stroke for stroke and Ronson could not shake the Redlands’ senior during the breaststroke leg. But Ronson was able to push his freestyle and out-touch Messner to win in 1:49.37. Messner finished in 1:49.67, almost eight seconds faster than his Thursday preliminary time.

“I knew he would come on in the finals,” Ronson said. “I’ve raced him before at other meets, and Steve can really come on.”

Mark Warkentin of San Marcos won the 500 freestyle (4:25.42).

On the flip side of the Mission Viejo boys, Ventura Buena dominated the girls events.

The defending champions won with 307 points, Irvine was second with 216 and Fountain Valley was third (169).

Ventura Buena won the girls’ first event, the 200 medley relay, in 1:48.06, two seconds faster than its preliminary time. El Toro finished a strong second in 1:48.14. Buena also won the 400 free relay in 3:32.09.

Buena’s depth was obvious, considering that Irvine, which counted an Olympic-bound swimmer and the top sprint freestyler in the county, was not enough to overtake the Buena, which won five of 11 events.

“It really wasn’t a matter of who would win the girls’ meet. Rather, who would take second,” Irvine Coach Scott Hinman said.

For Buena, Rebecca Gilman won the 200 (1:49.43) and the 500 free (4:50.18). But Irvine had its moments.

Amanda Beard, a member of the U.S. Olympic team who was named girls’ swimmer of the meet, won the 100 breaststroke, smashing the 1:03.20 section record of Amber Wines of Santa Ana Valley and tying the national record.

“It wasn’t difficult at all,” said Beard, whose winning time of 1:01.79 tied Kristine Quance’s 1993 national record. “And about not being shaved and tapered, I wasn’t shaved or tapered at the Olympic trials either.”

Irvine sprinter Wendy O’Brien continued her dominance, winning the 50 and 100 freestyles. Her double victory is her third in a row at the section finals.

In the 50 free, O’Brien was first off the block and won in an All-American time of 23.66. O’Brien’s winning time in the 100 free was a 51.58, which is also an All-American time.

“Since early this season, my goal was to be a double winner again,” O’Brien said. “I wanted to go out on top. I’m so happy.”

Jennifer Parmenter, who swims for Los Angeles Baptist, set a Southern Section record in the 200 individual medley, finishing in 2:00.82 and breaking Karin Werth’s 1983 record of 2:01.88. Parmenter, a freshman, also went on to win the 100 back in 56.48.