Boys and girls swim: Anae, McKay and Bowlus charge on to Finals

BELMONT SHORE - Corona del Mar High freshman Jordan Anae broke her

own school record in the 100-yard backstroke, not once, but twice at the

CIF Southern Section Division II Swim Preliminaries at Belmont Plaza

Thursday.

Anae (100 freestyle and 100 back), sophomore Kim McKay (200 and 500

free) and junior Brittany Bowlus (50 free) qualified for Saturday’s

championship finals. McKay, Bowlus and Anae, along with sophomore Vivian

Liao also qualified in the 200 and 400 free relays.

Anae completed a 59.39, breaking her former school record (1:00.35)

and tying for the eighth and final spot for the CIF championship finals.

Thus, she had to compete in a swim-off to reach the championship finals.

With a 59.36, Anae, who had competed in four events, beat out Rene

Vivgros of Bishop Amat.

The top eight in each event advance to the championship finals, while

ninth through 16th qualify for the consolation finals.

“To come back and be in that swim-off and for her to reach down, she

showed that poise of a great swimmer,” CdM Coach Doug Volding said of

Anae. “I’m really looking forward to the future with her.”

“I thought I would recognize her, but I didn’t know who she was,” Anae

said of her competitor in the swim-off. “I went in thinking I can do it,

though I still had my doubts. But I ended up where I wanted to go.”

McKay also turned in personal-best efforts in her events. She

qualified sixth in the 500 free, with a season-best 5:17.40, and she

qualified seventh in the 200 free, with a personal-best 1:58.88.

In the 50 free, Bowlus qualified eighth with a personal-best 24.92,

while Liao also had a personal best (25.10) to qualify 14th for the

consolation finals with junior Christina Hewko (25.47), who qualified

16th.

Anae also had a personal best in the 100 free (54.35) and qualified

eighth, while Liao qualified 13th (55.81) and Bowlus 16th (55.96).

Anae, McKay, Liao and Bowlus qualified fifth in the 200 free relay

(season-best 1:42.31) and fifth in the 400 free relay (3:42.62).

Meanwhile, Coach Todd Larsen’s CdM boys squad was led by senior

Sherwin Kim.

Kim qualified for the consolation finals in two events, finishing

ninth in 100 free (49.30) and 10th in the 50 free (22.28).

Jimmy Strack, Bobby Messenger, Matt Meyer and Kim qualified ninth in

the 200 free relay (1:31.29).

The CIF Finals are on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Belmont Plaza.