Boys and girls swimming: Vaqueros too much

Steve Virgen

NEWPORT BEACH - When Newport Harbor High and Irvine duel in boys

swimming at full strength, believe the hype. The Sailors and Vaqueros did

not disappoint Friday in their anticipated Sea View League matchup that

resulted in the visitors, Irvine, winning, 89-81, in a meet that featured

two ties and 200-meter backstroke world-record holder Aaron Peirsol.

The Newport Harbor girls could not match up with the depth of

defending Sea View League champion Irvine and lost, 109-61.

The meet was originally scheduled last month, but Irvine and Newport

agreed to postpone after the death of Irvine’s athletic standout Bobby

Hatfield.

With the score tied, 70-70, and with two events remaining, the Irvine

boys swept the 100-yard backstroke to secure the win. Nick Yu led the

Vaquero sweep, touching the wall in 59.64, then raising his fist in the

air and yelling in celebration.

Newport Harbor’s Ryan Lean, Nathan Weiner, Brent Armstrong and Peirsol

won the 400 freestyle relay, but it was not enough for the team win.

“We had this meet mapped out to the T,” said Peirsol, who also

mentioned Coach Jason Lynch’s pre-meet instructions provided much

inspiration. “We really wanted to take this meet. Irvine is our biggest

meet.”

As part of Lynch’s strategy, Peirsol did not swim his specialty, the

backstroke. Instead, the senior 2000 Olympic silver medalist won the 200

individual medley (1:59.11) and the 100 butterfly (53.64). But, he also

came up four-tenths of a second short as the anchor (the freestyle) in

the 200 medley relay, which Irvine won in 1:42.38. Peirsol swam a 21.35

split.

“I split up the Big Three (Lean, Peirsol and Andrew Cole),” Lynch

said, describing his strategy of approaching the relays. “We won the two

free relays, which I knew we could have done had I put them all together;

we would win by a lot. We didn’t win by that much. I didn’t think we

could win the medley. But that put us in a six-point hole. That’s an

eight-point turnaround.”

Lean won the 200 free (1:44.77) and the 100 free (48.32), while Cole

won the 50 free (22.37) and the 100 back (53.65).

Lynch’s plan for Irvine was on a sheet of paper, a strategy that

included predicted finishes of each event.

“I’ve been watching (Irvine’s) times the whole season,” Lynch said. “I

had it all mapped out. It just didn’t quite work out. The (200 medley)

relay killed it.”

Irvine Coach Ken Dory expected a close meet, an Irvine sweep in the

100 breast and now he expects another Sea View League championship.

“I think we’re stronger and better matched for the league finals,”

Dory said. “We can put four swimmers out there and our fourth is strong.

I knew no matter what happened today we were going to be stronger come

league finals.”

Meanwhile, the Newport Harbor girls came away with three wins, and

Hayley Peirsol earned two (200 IM in 2:08.62 and 500 free in 5:03.31).

Nicole Mackey, who left the meet early, won the 100 butterfly (57.24).

“It’s pretty much a friendly rivalry,” said Newport Coach Ken LaMont,

who mentioned several of the swimmers also compete for the same club

team. “A lot of the girls know each other but in the end we don’t like to

lose.”