Harbor View sunk by Green Valley squad

CORONA DEL MAR ? The Green Valley Dolphins were the team to beat during the South Coast Swim Conference regular season, winning all six dual meets.

The Dolphins, based in Huntington Beach, were also the team that couldn’t be beaten in Saturday’s finals at Corona del Mar High, winning their first South Coast Swim Conference title with 1,801 points.

The defending champion Harbor View Dolphins and Newport Hills Killer Whales finished second and third, respectively, with 1,545 and 1,463.5 points.

“Green Valley earned this one,” said Harbor View Coach Ted Bandaruk. “They swam very well, and congratulations to them. This keeps us on our toes and makes us work harder, and that’s what it’s all about.”

Newport Hills and Harbor View dominated the lower age divisions. As they had all season, the Killer Whales won both the 6-and-under boys’ and girls’ age groups.

Harbor View won both the 7- and 8-year-old and 9- and 10-year-old boys’ divisions.

But Green Valley took its strength from its older age groups, winning the 13-14 boys’ and girls’ divisions and 15-18 boys’ and girls’ divisions.

Newport Hills’ Patrick White stood out in the 15-18 age group. He set a meet record with a time of 24.12 seconds in the 50-yard butterfly. He also won the 100 freestyle (48.63) and 50 backstroke (26.79).

“I kind of think of [the record] as for the younger kids,” said White, who will be a junior at Mater Dei High. “It’s something for them to achieve. I like it when the younger kids break my old records.”

Taylor Cortens also claimed three individual titles for the Killer Whales, winning the 50 free (32.69), the 25 breaststroke (19.48) and the 25 backstroke (17.63) in the boys’ 7-8 division.

Harbor View girls’ swimmers bettered four previous meet records.

Ellen Naruse set a 9-10 girls’ 50 backstroke record (33.10 seconds) and also bettered the previous record in the 100 individual medley (1:12.29), though she finished second in the latter event.

Jules Pouch bettered the 9-10 girls’ 50 free record (28.50) Venturini bettered the 11-12 girls’ 50 backstroke record with a time of (31.29). Both swimmers finished second in the aforementioned event, both times to a Green Valley swimmer.

Corona del Mar High senior-to-be Stephanie Gabert, who won CIF Southern Section Division II titles in the 200 IM and the 100 breaststroke last spring to help lead the Sea Kings to the CIF Division II team title, won the girls’ 15-18 division 50 butterfly (28.17) and 50 backstroke (31.95) representing Harbor View. She is also a coach for the Dolphins.

“I think we gave it our best effort,” Gabert said. “All of the younger kids worked really hard. We look forward to next year.”

Newport Hills’ 6-and-under boys’ medley relay and freestyle relay teams, consisting of Morgan Cortens, Henry Wilde, Jack Bendetti, Will Klein and Grayson Wueste, went undefeated all season for the Killer Whales and continued that trend Saturday.

“We won because our teammates helped us,” Bendetti said. “We tried our hardest and felt good.”

Other swimmers winning two individual events included Harbor View’s Justin Hanson and and Liam Karas.

Hanson, competing in the boys’ 7-8 division, won the 25 free (14.96) and the 25 fly (16.03).

Karas, swimming in the boys’ 9-10 division, topped the field in the 25 fly (15.01) and the 100 IM (1:16.68).

In boys’ competition, Newport Hills’ Henry Wilde won the 6-and-under 25 free (18.70), Harbor View’s Luke Chelf won the 6-and-under 25 breaststroke (25.75), Harbor View’s Alex Wilde won the 6-and-under 50 back (36.84) and Harbor View’s Matt Berry won the 11-12 division 50 fly (32.07).

In girls’ events, Harbor View’s Siena Secrist won the 6-and-under 25 fly (22.26), Newport Hills’ Mackenzie Morsey won the 7-8 division 25 breaststroke (21.14) and Newport Hills’ Natalie Wilde won the 7-8 division 25 back (19.88).

Newport Hills swimmer Amy Zucker, a recent Corona del Mar High graduate, said she will miss being on the Dolphins. But her absence is only temporary, because Zucker and many of her teammates no longer eligible to compete plan to help coach the younger swimmers who return next year.

“We want to thank Coach Ted [Bandaruk], because Coach Ted is the team,” Zucker said. “We’ll miss swimming, but we can always swim in the coaches’ relay.”