Swimming: CdM, Mesa heading to CIF Division II prelims

Tony Altobelli

BELMONT SHORE - The future is looking bright for the Corona del Mar

High girls swim team and a quick glance at today’s CIF Southern Section

Division II preliminaries participant list can prove that.

The Sea Kings will have two freshmen, two sophomores, a junior and a

senior competing on the girls side, with four of those swimmers in two

events each.

“It’s exciting to be so young,” CdM Coach Doug Volding said. “We’re

going to be well represented, better than we’ve had in years past. It’s

kind of hard to tell how we’ll do as a team, but we should make it

interesting.”

Freshman Kim McKay will compete among the elite during the 200-yard

individual medley and the 500 freestyle. She won the 500 free for her

first-ever Pacific Coast League individual title.

Fellow freshman Vivian Liao, one of many positive surprises for

Volding’s squad, qualified for the 50 free and 100 free.

Another double qualifier is sophomore Brittany Bowlus, who will

compete in the 50 free and 200 free.

Senior Lauren Powers, who placed fifth at last year’s Division II

finals in the 100 free, will take part in the 50 free and 100 butterfly

this year.

“Lauren’s been a great leader for us and she’ll be missed after this

year,” Volding said.

Joining the Sea King contingent will be junior Heather Hapeman (100

free) and sophomore Jackie McCoy (100 breaststroke).

Two Costa Mesa High girls swimmers, Erin Bayes and Jody Martinovich,

have made their way to this year’s prelims.

Bayes, a senior headed to the University of San Diego in the fall and

a two-time PCL champ in the 50 free, will swim that event, plus the 100

free.

Martinovich, the Mustangs’ school record holder in the 200 IM, will

swim in the 500 free as well as the 200 IM on Thursday.

On the boys side, junior Sherwin Kim, this year’s PCL champ in the 100

free, will compete in two events for the Sea Kings. Kim, who reached the

Division II consolation finals in two events last year, will swim in the

200 IM and 100 free.

“Sherwin is seeded in the top eight in both of his events and I’m

really looking forward to seeing how he does,” CdM Coach Tim Chaix said.

Junior Matthew Meyer, the PCL champ in the 200 free, will try his hand

in the 100 free. “Matt has done a great job for us all year,” Chaix said.

“This will be a great experience for him.”

The CdM girls relay teams include, Christina Hewko, Jackie McCoy,

Nikki Hendrickson and Bowlus in the 200 medley relay and McKay, Powers,

Hapeman and Liao in both the 200 and 400 free relays.

The CdM boys relays are as follows: Kim, Meyer, Bobby Messenger and

John Money in the 200 free relay, Bowlus, Money, Messenger and Robert

Fries in the 200 medley relay and Kim, Meyer, Bowlus and James Strack in

the 400 free relay.

Preliminaries begin today at 4 p.m., while the finals kick off

Saturday at 4 p.m.

In addition to the individual events, the Sea King boys and girls will

compete in the 200 medley relay, 200 free relay and 400 free relay

events.