Swimming: Newport’s boys claim seven league titles

Richard Dunn

IRVINE - Even though Newport Harbor High’s top swimmer wasn’t

competing Friday in the Sea View League boys swim finals at Irvine High,

three-time world champion Aaron Peirsol still made his presence felt.

“I was feeling pretty good today after warming up and wearing Aaron

Peirsol’s speed shorts ... we’re rotating them around so everybody will

go fast,” said Newport Harbor sophomore Michael Bury, who won the 50-yard

freestyle in 22.53, one of seven league titles in 11 events for Coach

Jason Lynch’s Sailors, who finished second with 464 points behind

champion Irvine (508).

The Sailors’ girls, led by junior Nicole Mackey’s victory in the 100

breaststroke (1:06.73), also placed second in the league finals behind

Irvine (546-392). Mackey was also second in the 100 butterfly (58.17).

But Newport Harbor’s boys, who also feel they’re strong candidates to

win the CIF Southern Section Division I championship next week with

Peirsol back in the water, featured two double winners (senior Ryan Lean

and junior Andrew Cole), as well as victories in the 200 and 400 free

relays.

Bury, who qualified for CIF for the first time in the 50 free and 100

fly, in which he placed third (55.23), also swam on both winning relays.

“That’s really nice to be able to help out the team and be a part of

CIF,” Bury said. “We have a good chance to win this year and I want to

contribute ... I’m a water polo player, and I probably wouldn’t be

swimming if I didn’t play polo.”

Cole, who transferred two years ago from Sandy, Utah, captured the 100

free (48.21) and 100 backstroke (53.56) titles. “There (in Utah) I was

the best one, but here there’s better competition,” Cole said. “I was a

big fish in a small pond, and now I’m a little fish in a big pond.”

Lean touched first in the 200 free (1:42.80) and 500 free (4:33.35) to

give Harbor five league titles in eight individual events. Lean, who also

hopes to win a CIF title in the 500 free, finished his Sea View career

with seven individual titles, having won two every year except last

spring.

“I have less of a chance of winning the 200 free (in CIF), because

Peirsol’s doing it,” Lean said.

Lynch said the Sailors were simply outnumbered by Irvine, which piled

up points. “(The Vaqueros) don’t have the big guns that we do, but they

have more depth,” Lynch said.

Nathan Weiner (third in the 100 free in 49.22), Ross Sinclair (fifth

in the 200 free in 1:50.80) and Jay Thompson (third in the 200 IM in

2:06.14) also qualified for CIF for the Sailors, giving them more

possibly points.

“We have a shot to win it all as a team,” Lynch said. “It will be

between us, San Clemente, Edison, Irvine and Mission Viejo.”

Newport’s girls were also led by Mai Tajima (second in the 200 free in

1:56.57) and the runner-up 400 free relay (3:38.99), which posted an

automatic CIF qualifying time with Tajima, Hayley Peirsol, Katherine

Belden and Mackey.