Boys swim: Peirsol wins twice, sets league record in 200 IM for

Sailors

Richard Dunn

NEWPORT BEACH - As Newport Harbor High’s boys swim team geared up

for perennial Orange County powerhouse Irvine, Sailors Coach Brian

Kreutzkamp knew his squad couldn’t possibly compare with the Vaqueros’

depth.

But, in Friday’s Sea View League Finals at Newport Harbor, the Sailors

went face to face with Irvine’s top four swimmers and won two of three

relay events, gaining some solace in an overall runner-up finish to the

champion Vaqs.

With senior Ryan Gough, sophomore Ryan Lean, junior Peter Belden and

sophomore Aaron Peirsol, Newport Harbor swiped the 400-yard free relay

from underneath No. 1-seeded Irvine at the end of the meet in 3:18.60.

“We’re not going to touch their depth,” Kreutzkamp said of the Vaqueros,

“but we got two of the three relays with them, so it’s kind of nice that

our top four swimmers beat their top four in two of the three.”

Gough (51.1 split), Lean (49.5), Belden (49.68) and Peirsol (48.1) gave

Newport Harbor its sixth league championship. It also won the 200-yard

free relay with Lean, Joey Snelgrove, Belden and Peirsol, clocking a

1:29.13 for All-American consideration.

Individually for the Tars, Peirsol captured two league titles, while Lean

(500 free) and Belden (50 free) also brought home first-place medals.

In the 200 individual medley, Peirsol set a league record in 1:53.06, but

is still seeking the school record set by former Olympian John Moffet in

1983 (1:51.33).

“That’s what Peirsol will go after at CIF,” Kreutzkamp said.

Paul Kepner (2:11.46) and Caine Littrell (2:14.43) also swam in the

championship finals for Newport Harbor in the 200 IM.

In the 100 backstroke, Peirsol’s specialty, he cruised to the Sea View

League title easily in 51.30, beating Irvine’s Jeff Natalizio (54.09),

the runner-up, by a wide margin. Peirsol set the league record in the

league preliminaries on Wednesday in 51.15, breaking his own mark of

51.67 established last year.

“I think that would be a good goal,” Peirsol said of going after Moffet’s

school record in the 200 IM at the CIF prelims next week at Belmont Plaza

Olympic Pool in Long Beach. “It crossed my mind (Friday), but I was

feeling so tired. The main thing is to win a CIF title (in the 100 back)

and have fun being with my friends.”

Peirsol, who will not shave before the CIF prelims, is planning to

compete in the U.S. Olympic Trials at Indianapolis in August. He is

tapering for the trails.

In the 50 free, the unshaven Belden enjoyed a fine swim, sprinting 22.13

for the championship, while Snelgrove, a junior, was fourth in 22.64.

Juniors Steve Jendrusina (22.92) and Kyle Bean (23.15) finished seventh

and eighth, respectively, in the championship finals for Newport Harbor.

Belden was also third in the 100 free (49.04).

Lean was an easy winner in the 500 free (4:43.98), beating three Irvine

swimmers who finished second, third and fourth, while Newport Harbor’s

Brian Pentz, a junior, was fifth in 5:15.94. Junior Greg Worthing was

eighth (5:27.75) in the championship finals for the Sailors.

Lean was also second in the 200 free (1:46.98) behind Irvine’s Brian Neff

(1:45.42). Kepner (1:51.34) was sixth in the 200 free for the Tars.

Qualifying for CIF in the 100 butterfly for Newport Harbor was

fourth-place finisher Robert Weiner (56.70), a senior who made it in his

final attempt.

“(Weiner) shaved,” Kreutzkamp said, “because this was his last hope to

get in.” Gough was eighth in the 100 fly in 59.78.

Junior Ryan Cook (50.04) and senior Brenden Hansen (51.51) placed sixth

and eighth, respectively, for Newport Harbor in the championship finals

of the 100 free.

Five Newport Harbor swimmers -- Peirsol, Lean, Snelgrove, Belden and Cook

-- had already qualified for CIF before the Sea View League Finals.