Men’s swimming: Peirsol hits first bump in road

Tony Altobelli

Newport Harbor High standout Aaron Peirsol, perhaps weighed down by

too much birthday cake, encountered his first patch of rough waters in

the high seas of international swimming.

The 18-year-old Olympic silver medalist failed to qualify for the

finals of the 100-meter backstroke at the 9th FINA World Championships

Sunday in Fukuoka, Japan.

Peirsol, ranked No. 2 in the world in the 100 back, swam a 55.89, less

than a second behind top qualifier and United States teammate Randall

Bal’s time of 54.93. Australian Josh Watson grabbed hold of the final

qualifying spot with an eighth-place time of 55.78.

“Aaron knows there are going to be some road blocks out there,”

Aaron’s mom, Wella, said. “Hopefully, he can bounce back from this and

swim well in the 200 back (on Thursday).”

Elsewhere, Peirsol’s Newport Harbor teammate Nicole Mackey, posted a

strong performance at the 2001 Janet Evans Invitational in Los Angeles at

USC’s Aquatic Center.

The 16-year-old, swimming for the Irvine Aquazots, placed fifth in the

100 back in 1:04.88 and finished sixth in the 400 individual medley

(4:58.18).

Fifteen-year-old Hayley Peirsol, Aaron’s brother, placed ninth in the

400 IM (4:54.23), but had the third fastest overall time among all

swimmers in the finals. She swam a 5:02.32 in the trials and did not

finish in the top-eight.

Fellow Newport Harbor standout Ryan Lean placed fifth in the 400 free

with a 4:02.21. The 17-year-old also finished 20th in the 400 IM

(4:44.15).

Junior-to-be Andrew Cole came in sixth with a 59.22 in the 100 back.

The 16-year-old also finished 11th in the 200 back in 2:07.50.

In girls water polo action, Corona del Mar finished third overall at

the 28-team Villa Park 18 & Under Tournament.

The Sea Kings posted wins over North Shore “B”, 10-2, Esperanza, 6-5

and Santa Margarita, 8-7, before losing to San Diego Shores “A”.

Following the loss, CdM rallied for a 9-8 sudden-death overtime

victory over North Shores “A” in the third-place contest.

Christina Hewko led the Sea Kings with 13 goals in the five games,

while Brittney Bowlus chipped in 10. Other CdM scorers included Daniella

DiGicomo (five goals), Vivian Liao (three), Jessica Harkins (two), Alexa

Miller (one) and Hayley Sheetz (one).

Goalie Jessica Wells posted 34 saves in the five-game tournament.

Newport Harbor finished fifth in the tournament following a 10-7 win

over Santa Margarita in the fifth-place game.

In boys water polo action, Newport Harbor won four games and lost only

once en route to a fifth-place finish at the Aliso Niguel Tournament.

Newport opened with a 9-2 win over Trabuco Hills, but lost the

following game to Laguna Beach, 10-5. The Sailors responded with three

straight wins over Coronado (9-8), Mission Viejo (10-8) and “Trap” club

team (8-7 in sudden death).

Michael Vanderburg led the Sailors’ attack with 10 goals, while Nathan

Weiner and Ross Sinclair each chipped in seven goals.

Other Newport scorers included Brent Armstrong (five goals), Michael

Bury (four), Steffan Lugo (four) and Charlie Hockenbury (three).

Goalies Nathan McLain and Alex Stabler combined for 21 saves in the

five-game tourney.