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.”