Peirsol comes up big, again
Around the college sports scene faster than Aaron Perisol can swim
the 200-yard backstroke: Well, not that fast, but here is a look at
what’s going on.
Peirsol, the former Newport Harbor High standout, left anyone who
saw him in awe Saturday at the NCAA Swimming and Diving
Championships. The University of Texas freshman broke the American
record in the 200 back in the preliminaries, and then out-did himself
in the final. Peirsol, the world-record holder in the 200-meter back,
became the first man to go under 1:40 in the 200-yard back.
He finished in 1:39.16, nearly a full second faster than the
original record, set in 1995 by Brian Retterer of Stanford in
1:40.06.
Peirsol was also named NCAA Swimmer of the Year. A no-brainer,
since he also helped the Longhorns set two American records in relay
events, the 200 and 400 medley relays.
So what is Peirsol doing now?
Resting.
“I’m going to take in a well-deserved break this week,” said
Peirsol, who also mentioned he is enjoying the college experience at
Texas. “This record is just icing on the cake. The whole college
experience is just fun. It’s a whole new whole new world and I’m just
trying to enjoy every minute of it before it flies by.”
Peirsol’s “week off” won’t last as long as he would want. He said
he has been keeping up to date and watching the Texas men’s
basketball team, which has advanced to the Final Four for the first
time since 1947. He would watch the Longhorns this Saturday when they
face Syracuse, but Peirsol will compete in, “The Duel in the Pool,”
the U.S. vs. Australia meet which is on Saturday and Sunday in
Indianapolis.
Peirsol is being marketed as one of the premier swimmers of the
event that will be televised by NBC, April 12 and April 13. It might
be difficult to recognize Aaron. He cut his hair, which used to be a
bit of a trademark. It looked like he never combed it, yet his curly
hair added to his charm. Now he has a flat-top-like, clean-cut
hairstyle.
“It will grow back,” Aaron said.
* At Mississippi, Ole Miss, Charlie Waite, a Newport Harbor
product, has been one of the best catchers in the Southeastern
Conference, in regard to defense, this season. He leads the SEC with
13 runners caught stealing, and he’s also one of the Rebels’ leading
hitters, with a .302 batting average.
He recently went 2 for 4, yet the Rebels lost to Mississippi State
March 30. Mississippi State is now ranked fifth in the nation by
Baseball America.
* At Army, Lisa Huntington, also a former Newport Harbor
standout, has been continuing her steady rise, which started last
year. She leads Army with a .368 batting average through 13 games.
She also leads the Black Knights (7-6, 2-0 in the Patriot League
Conference) with eight RBIs.
Huntington, who plays first base, went 2 for 4 with two RBIs to
help the Black Knights close out a sweep of Lafayette, 7-1, in the
Patriot League opener.
Last year, Huntington made an immediate impact as a freshman. She
started the season as a designated hitter then filled in for injured
four-year starter Chrissy O’Hara. Huntington earned second-team
all-conference honors last year, and she went 2 for 6 in the NCAA
Tournament to close out the year with a .297 batting average, the
second highest among the newcomers and sixth overall.
Now, Huntington is continuing her hot streak.
* Some not so good news for Brittany Reitz, a freshman at Purdue
and a former Corona del Mar tennis standout. After a rather
successful fall season, Reitz will not be able to compete in the
spring, because she will be recovering from a knee injury, according
to the school’s athletic website.
Reitz, the CIF Southern Section singles champion in 2001 and a
high school All-American, posted a 9-2 singles record and a 10-2
doubles mark in the fall.
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