Boys swimming: Something old, something new

Joseph Boo

CORONA DEL MAR - Nine seniors are returning to Corona del Mar

High’s boy swim team this year, which is an unusual for the Sea Kings, or

for that matter, any high school swim team.

“Unlike most years, the seniors are coming back,” CdM Coach Jon Moore

said. “Most senior water polo players don’t come back after the water

polo season, so this is encouraging. They all feel they can improve on

last season.”

Despite the nine CdM swimmers fighting senioritis this year, the Sea

Kings will be considered a young team. That’s because they will have a

staggering 19 freshmen on the team.

“I have so many freshmen on the team,” Moore said. “I’m still learning

their names.”

A lot of swimmers staying and coming in just means that CdM has an ample

talent pool to draw from.

The Sea Kings are returning seven of their eight swimmers who qualified

for the CIF Southern Section Division I finals. Seniors Garrett Gentry

qualified in the 100-yard freestyle last year. Seniors John Graass and

Omar Kattan also qualified in freestyle events. Butterfly swimmers David

Fabian and Chriss Street both qualified in the 100 butterfly, and

breaststrokers Morgen Johnston and Sherwin Kim made CIF.

CdM is loaded with freestyle swimmers with Doug Jackson, Ryan Jetton,

Garrett Bowlus, Chase Emery, Ron Hasso, Adam Padilla, Chris Hinger and

Mike March. And Moore considers sophomore Matt Meyer is CdM’s best

long-distance freestyle swimmer.

Senior Alex Niehenke and junior Trevor Arnold will swim the breaststroke

for CdM. Senior Chris McCormick is the Sea Kings’ primary backstroker.

Sophomore Brandon Powers can also swim the back stroke, and he will also

do some freestyle. Sophomore Bobby Messenger joins Fabian and Street in

butterfly races.

Marc Pantuliano accompanies fellow sophomore Kim as CdM’s two individual

medley racers. Moore feels Pantuliano should join Kim in the CIF finals.

And then there are the 19 CdM freshmen. Moore has yet to sort through all

of them and figure out who will swim what, but he has been initially

impressed by Artie Dorr, John Money and James Strack.

Kevin Amendt, brothers Brenton and Graydon Beller, and David and Jason

DiRocco, Brett Brewer, Chase Dorian, John Edgett, Jonathan Freibott,

Raymond Harper, Ali Kattan, John Mann, Ryan Moore, Ryan Mullin, Travis

Pirdy and Giancarlo Rivera are the rest of the freshmen on CdM’s squad.

The freshmen will help, but the Sea Kings’ fortunes eventually comes back

to the returnees. It also helps CdM that it moved to Division II and the

Pacific Coast League.

“With all the talent we have returning,” Moore said, “we’re looking

forward to winning league, putting 10-12 guys in CIF, and placing our

team somewhere in the top five in CIF.”

Roster

Kevin Amendt Fr.

Trevor Arnold So.

Brenton Beller Fr.

Graydon Beller Fr.

Garrett Bowlus Jr.

Brett Brewer Fr.

David DiRocco Fr.

Jason DiRocco Fr.

Chase Dorian Fr.

Artie Dorr Fr.

John Edgett Fr.

Chase Emery Jr.

David Fabian Sr.

Jonathan Freibott Fr.

Garrett Gentry Sr.

John Graass Sr.

Raymond Harper Fr.

Ron Hasso Jr.

Chris Hinger So.

Doug Jackson Sr.

Ryan Jetton Sr.

Morgen Johnston Sr.

Ali Kattan Fr.

Omar Kattan Sr.

Sherwin Kim So.

John Mann Fr.

Mike March So.

Chris McCormick Sr.

Bobby Messenger So.

Matt Meyer So.

John Money Fr.

Ryan Moore Fr.

Ryan Mullin Fr.

Alex Niehenke Sr.

Adam Padilla Jr.

Marc Pantuliano So.

Travis Pirdy Fr.

Brandon Powers So.

Giancarlo Rivera Fr.

James Strack Fr.

Chriss Street Jr.

Coach: Jon Moore