Newport sets sights on finals
Melanie Neff
Newport Harbor High’s girls swim Coach Ken LaMont was all smiles
Wednesday at the CIF Southern Section Division I preliminaries at
Belmont Plaza. And he had good reason.
The Sailors placed swimmers in the finals of all but three events,
and even in two of those races, impressive swims kept the smile on
LaMont’s face.
The usual suspects did their job, as seniors Nicole Mackey, Hayley
Peirsol and Mai Tajima, who all swim for the Irvine Novaquatics,
qualified for the finals in each of their two individual events, as
well as two relays.
The finals will be held at 6 p.m. Friday at Belmont Plaza.
Mackey posted the best time in the 200-yard individual medley,
taking almost two seconds off her seed time by swimming a 2:04.29.
Ashley Depaul of Villa Park was second best, winning her heat in
2:05.63.
Depaul, who swims for the Aquazots, will be Mackey’s biggest
competition Friday. The two will also meet in the finals of the 100
butterfly. Depaul swam a 56.40 to earn the top spot in the event.
Mackey won her heat in 56.67 and will enter the finals as the third
seed. Elliko Heimbach of Irvine was second in 56.50.
“Usually in the prelims I just lay back,” Mackey said. “I’m going
to try as hard as I can to win on Friday, but Ashley’s fly is
awesome.”
Peirsol, who was suffering from a bad cold, was still able to post
the second-fastest time in both the 200 and 500 freestyles. Peirsol
won both her heats, but was a second off her seed time in the 200,
swimming a 1:52.87, and more than two seconds slower in the 500
(4:52.75). Adrienne Binder of San Marcos, who will join Peirsol at
Auburn next fall, won both her heats, setting up for two anticipated
finals.
“We are such good friends,” Peirsol said. “It’s going to be really
exciting.”
Tajima was sixth best in the 200 free, taking more than a second
off her seed time with a 1:55.75. She also bettered her time in the
100 backstroke by more than a second with a 58.39.
“I was pretty surprised with my time [in the 200 free],” Tajima
said. “I injured my back a year ago and I was finally able to get my
time back.”
Mackey, Tajima, Peirsol and sophomore Anne Belden put on an
impressive performance in the 400 freestyle relay, cutting more than
four seconds off their time and placing second in 3:36.18.
LaMont told Belden, a water polo player, moments before the race
she would anchor the three club swimmers. Belden held up her end,
swimming a personal-best leg of 54.42, holding off Santa Barbara to
win the heat.
Tajima, Jenna Murphy, Mackey and Peirsol qualified fourth in the
200 medley relay in 1:51.68, almost three seconds better than their
seed time.
Giving the Sailors a glimpse of their future, freshman Leah
Robertson, who swam on the junior varsity this season, led off the
200 freestyle that finished advanced to the finals in the eighth spot
in 1:42.09. Senior Ashley Parole, Belden and Murphy rounded out the
team.
Robertson was also the only swimmer in the 50 free for the
Sailors, after she earned a consideration time in the Sea View League
junior varsity final. Robertson, a water polo player, just missed the
consolation championships with a time of 25.26, .07 seconds better
than her seed time.
“For my age, it’s just fun to be here,” Robertson said. “It’s a
good experience for me, but it’s a little awkward swimming with all
these older girls who are so good.”
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