Boys swimming: Sailors share spoils

Barry Faulkner

BELMONT SHORE - By the time Newport Harbor High’s record-setting

4x100-yard freestyle relay came down to world-class anchor man Aaron

Peirsol, the Sailors had already shown they were in a class by

themselves.

Junior leadoff man Andrew Cole opened a body-length lead, which senior

Ryan Lean more than doubled and sophomore Michael Bury expanded to more

than three body lengths.

Peirsol, who also anchored Newport Harbor boys swimming victories in

the 6x50 free and the 4x50 backstroke at the Millikan/Southern Section

Relay Championships at Belmont Plaza, then glided through four laps of

the 25-yard pool in a team-best 45.06 seconds to complete the 3:10.39

clocking, more than a half second better than the meet record Hart set in

1999.

“That was very impressive,” said Newport Harbor Coach Jason Lynch,

whose team also produced a 10th-place finish in the 4x50 butterfly and a

12th-place effort in the 4x50 breaststroke to wind up fourth in the team

standings. “It wasn’t just Aaron, either, although he gives our other

guys a lot of confidence. All those guys had good swims.”

Peirsol, the reigning world champion and world record holder in the

200-meter backstroke, was also impressed with his teammates.

“Everyone stepped up,” said Peirsol, who recorded a team-best 20.26

split in the 6x50, then posted a blazing 21.39 split in the 4x50

backstroke to help the Tars come up just shy of another meet record. “I

wouldn’t have been disappointed without a meet record, but it certainly

was a nice bonus.”

Cole, as he did in the pool, backed up his celebrated teammate.

“Everyone had to contribute 110% to get the record and that’s what we

did,” Cole said.

Lean, a multiple Sea View League champion who was on the CIF Division

I champion 400 free relay (along with Peirsol, Cole and current UCLA

freshman Peter Belden) that went 3:09.97 last spring, was very succinct

in describing his feelings about the record.

“It was awesome,” Lean said. “I knew we’d have a shot at it, since we

went 3:09 with three of the same guys last year. Bury really stepped up

to take Belden’s spot.”

Bury, still wide-eyed several minutes after the momentous race, said

he was glad to hold up his end of the record.

“There was some pressure on me, because those other three guys are all

so fast,” said Bury, a third-team All-CIF Division I selection for the

water polo team last fall. “To be a part of the record feels really

good.”

Cole’s opening split was 46.81, followed by Lean’s 47.47 and Bury’s

51.05.

Newport topped runner-up Capistrano Valley by an astounding 7.52

seconds, setting the stage, Lynch believes, for bigger things down the

road.

“I think these guys are looking at going under 3:07,” said Lynch,

mindful of the benefits of shaving and tapered training, as well as an

even more competitive environment at the CIF finals early next month.

Newport’s winning 6x50 free time of 2:12.39 was just less than a

second off the meet record set by Corona del Mar in 1986 (2:11.40). That

winning effort included Bury (21.65), Cole (21.98), junior Nathan Weiner

(22.55), junior Brent Armstrong (23.52) and Peirsol.

The 4x50 backstroke victory in 1:37.57, included Cole (24.29), Lean

(24.73), Weiner (27.16) and Peirsol. The Harbor foursome was a mere .31

off the meet record set by Irvine in 2000.

Bury, Weiner, Ross Sinclair and Charlie Hockenbury combined on a

1:43.92 to finish second in the 4x50 butterfly consolation heat (10th

overall).

Jay Thompson, Brad Dillman, Gavin Schmidt and Sinclair teamed to

finish fourth in the 4x50 breaststroke consolation heat in 2:06.03.

Newport’s 140 team points were bettered only by Irvine (202), Santa

Margarita (188) and Edison (184).