Newport, in a thriller

Bryce Alderton

When they had to deliver, they did.

Members of Newport Harbor High’s girls swim team trailed visiting

Corona del Mar for most of the nonleague “Battle of the Bay” dual

meet at Newport Harbor Tuesday until the final event: the 400-yard

freestyle relay. Newport needed at least a first and a third-place

finish to beat CdM and that’s what it got to win, 86-84. CdM won the

Battle of the Bay last season.

“It still doesn’t get much better than that,” said CdM Coach Doug

Volding, who moments earlier mentioned similar words as he prepared

for the final relay.

Newport’s No. 1 relay team of seniors Mai Tajima, Nicole Mackey,

Jenna Murphy and Hayley Peirsol clocked a 3:40.69 to win in the final

relay, but it was the quartet of senior Annmarie Harvey, sophomore

Anne Belden and juniors Amber Harper and Jessica Ball that put the

hosts over the top.

Harvey and Belden staked a lead of 21 hundredths of a second

before CdM’s Ann Winners negotiated the third leg to give CdM the

lead by 34 hundredths of a second, leaving Christina Hewko and Ball

to decide the fate of the meet.

Hewko, a member of CdM’s CIF Southern Section Division II champion

water polo team, led by an arm’s length, three-quarters through her

leg. But Ball, behind the cheers from teammates, friends and parents,

gave it her all and touched the wall a mere 15 hundredths of a second

sooner.

“Christina is an awesome swimmer,” said a giddy Ball in between

hugs from teammates. “I thought I had a one-in-a-million chance to

get up to her speed, but I guess it was just the spirit of the

moment. The whole team was cheering for me and that pushed me. Annie

Wight is my spirit, along with Carolyn Conway, Kim Housepian and

Sabrina Cook.”

Newport Coach Ken LaMont enchoed Volding’s thoughts about the

close finish.

“That is one of the most exciting meets I’ve ever participated

in,” LaMont said.

Newport (1-1) took six events, while CdM won five. The Sea Kings

(1-1) won three of the first four events, including a stellar

performance by Alexandra (Lexi) Shue in the 200 individual medley.

Shue touched in 2:09.28, ahead of Peirsol’s 2:10.05.

“We were neck and neck the whole time,” said Shue, who last week

broke a 20-year-old school record in the 500 free. “This is a big

meet and (Volding) kept us motivated.”

Shue left after her race Tuesday to attend swim practice for

junior Olympics, Volding said. “(She) would have helped in the 200

free relay,” Volding added.

CdM’s Vivian Liao took the 50 free (25.79), while teammate Jordan

Anae won the 100 free in 56.11, barely edging Newport’s Ashley Parole

(56.14).

Mackey won the 100 butterfly (1:00.71) and 100 breaststroke (1:09.01), while Tajima finished first in the 200 free (2:00.18) and

100 back (1:02.10).

Peirsol topped the field in the 500 free in 5:04.18. Mackey,

Peirsol, Tajima and Newport boys senior Andrew Cole returned from an

international competition in Calgary, Alberta, last weekend.