Sailors hope finals bring sunshine

Melanie Neff

The overcast, rainy day led to some dismal times in the pool

Wednesday at the Sea View League girls swim preliminaries at Newport

Harbor High.

Unlike the boys event Tuesday, very few swimmers improved on their

seed times and were just content to qualify for Friday’s finals.

“It hasn’t been a great meet for anyone,” Newport Harbor Coach Ken

LaMont said. “It’s a gloomy day and everyone is just kind of

dragging. I think Friday, when the sun comes out, you’ll see a much

better meet.”

Nicole Mackey and Hayley Peirsol, who both swim with the Irvine

Novaquatics, were the only Sailors to bring home top qualifying

spots. Mackey posted the fastest times in the 200-yard individual

medley and 100 breaststroke. Peirsol took top honors in the 200 and

500 freestyle.

Peirsol was one of the few Sailors who was able to cut some time

off her seed time, winning her heat in 200 in 1:55.11. Her previous best this season is 1:55.35. In the 500 free she finished more than

50 yards ahead of her closest competition in 4:54.30, almost two

seconds faster than her seed time of 4:56.22. Peirsol will also swim

in the 400 free relay and the breaststroke leg of the 200 medley

relay.

Peirsol still wasn’t overly impressed.

“I think maybe it’s just not a big deal since it’s only the

preliminaries,” Peirsol said. “I’ve been kind of sketchy all season,

so there is room for improvement. I’ve been traveling so much and

focusing on the world’s this summer.”

Mackey’s time of 2:08.14 in the IM was well off her seed time of

2:06.53. It was the same story in the breaststroke where she posted a

1:08.18, almost two seconds slower than her seed time of 1:06.37.

Mackey will join Peirsol on the 400 free relay and will swim the fly

in the medley relay.

Senior Mai Tajima, who also swims for the Novas, battled through

sickness to qualify in the top eight in both of her races. She

struggled a bit in the first event of the meet, posting a 1:59.62 in

the 200 free, more than three seconds slower than her seed time. She

made up for it in the 100 backstroke, swimming a 59.72 to earn the

second seed. In the process, Tajima, who will swim in both freestyle

relays Friday, shaved some time of her season’s best of 1:00.09.

“I was pretty sick today,” Tajima said. “I’m not sure what it is.

But I’ve been real shaky all day. But as long as we come back strong

on Friday, we are going to be fine.”

Seniors Jenna Murphy and Ashley Parole each earned spots in the

top eight in their races for the Sailors. Murphy took third in the

100 breast with a time of 1:11.23, beating her seed time of 1:11.71.

She was fourth in the 200 IM in 2:16.27.

Parole was the only Newport swimmer to get a berth in the top

eight in the 50 free, clocking a 26.66. Neilsen earned the top spot

in 25.01. Alex Anderson and Annmarie Harvey qualified 12th and 14th

for the Sailors. Parole snagged the eighth position in the 100 free

in 57.75. Jessie Ball (10th) and Hilary Karges (15th) also qualified

for Newport.

Sophomore Anne Belden earned one top-eight spot and just missed a

second. Belden grabbed the fifth spot in the 100 free in 55.89.

Irvine, which has won six straight Southern Section titles and is

expected to swim away with the league title, grabbed the top two

spots in the race. Tanya Nielsen clocked a 53.85 and Courtney

Cashion, who was disqualified in the 50 free, was second in 53.92.

In the 100 backstroke, Belden swam a 1:06.35, placing her ninth,

just behind Tri Kennedy-Donahue from Foothill (1:06.02). Belden’s

previous best this year was a 1:05.97. Belden will also swim in the

200 and 400 free relays.

Sophomore Ashling Taylor had a strong performance for the Sailors,

cutting almost four seconds off her 200 IM time and qualifying in the

11th spot in 2:23.47. Her seed time of 2:27.35, would have missed the

cut. In the 100 breast she qualified 12th in 1:19.47.

Karges and Paige Lansing just edged into the top eight in the 100

butterfly, when they both posted times of 1:06.74. Peggy Beebe was

11th and Katie Erickson was 15th. Beebe also earned the eighth spot

in the 500 free in 5:47.21. Lansing and Carolyn Conway were 10th and

11th.

Anderson (ninth) and Raelyn Ritchie (13th) qualified for the 200

free, Annie Wight (10th) will swim in the 100 breast and Jessica Ball

was 10th in the 100 free.