Mustangs bid for repeat

Steve Virgen

The Costa Mesa High boys swim team will not be able to sneak up

anyone this year. Everybody in the Golden West League knows about the

Mustangs.

Last year, Costa Mesa, in its first year in the Golden West

League, won the circuit’s championship with a dynamic performance at

league finals. Nobody seemed to be ready for the Mustangs. They won

the first event, the 200-yard medley, and continued to leave the

others behind. Senior Brian Tipton, junior Evan Spencer and sophomore

Kyle Thorsness were on that relay team and return to the squad this

year. The trio, along with Adam Douglas, who does not return, earned

an automatic berth in the CIF Southern Section preliminaries with a

time of 1:47.70.

Thorsness also won a Golden West League title in the 100

backstroke.

“Last year, we had no clue we were going to win,” said first-year

coach Tim Postiff, who was an assistant to head man Bob Shupp the

past two seasons. “I think this year, it’s up for grabs again because

it’s our second year in the league and it’s sort of that feeling-out

process for everyone.”

Postiff is encouraged his team can repeat because the Mustangs did

not graduate anyone from last year’s team. The Costa Mesa coach is

also pleased because his boys have had a playful attitude thus far

and that might translate to a less-nervous bunch as the season goes

on.

“I think it will be a fun season,” Postiff said. “The other day

the kids were really happy and they were swimming somewhere around

1,400 yards. They’re just happy to be in the Golden West League. Last

year, once we went through the dual meets, they realized they had a

chance to [win the league title]. Coming from the [Pacific Coast

League], it was really nice for them to win that.”

Along with Tipton, Thorsness and Spencer, the Mustangs also return

junior Anthony Adamowicz. The quartet earned All-Golden West League

water polo honors in the fall, leading Costa Mesa to a second-place

finish.

Tipton will most likely compete in the 100 breaststroke and 200

individual medley events, while Spencer will be in the 200 freestyle

and 100 butterfly. Thorsness will try to defend his league title in

the 100 back, and he is also expected to contribute on the relay

teams. Adamowicz will swim the 500 free.

Senior Marc Geil is another 100 breaststroke swimmer for the

Mustangs and Postiff said he should contend for the league title in

the event.

“We still have a lot of work ahead of us,” Postiff said.