Estancia girls eager to take on all comers

COSTA MESA — Late in Estancia High’s home swim meet against Sage Hill School on Tuesday, the Eagles’ girls issued a challenge to their counterparts on the boys’ team.

The challenge: a 400-yard freestyle relay, Estancia boys against Estancia girls.

Estancia girls’ swimming coach Bob Bandaruk said he even tried to make it fair by not racing Shea Kopp and Meagan Kunert, two of his best swimmers. But the boys weren’t having it.

“The boys would have won, but they’re scared to race against us,” Bandaruk said. “I told them, Shea’s not in it and Meagan’s not in it, but I guess they didn’t catch onto that.”

The Estancia girls beat their actual competitors, Sage Hill, 112-46. The Lightning boys posted a 101-55 victory over the Eagles.

Estancia boys’ coach John Carpenter said had he known that Kopp and Kunert were out of the equation, his boys might have taken the challenge.

“[Bandaruk] didn’t say that,” Carpenter said with a smile. “It’s fun sometimes to add a little hijinks at the end. Maybe we will race them next time.”

Estancia’s girls (4-0) have plenty of reasons to be confident. In the last three-plus years, they are now 39-0 in dual meets.

Wednesday, it was Kopp (50-yard freestyle and 100 backstroke), Kunert (100 and 200 free) and sophomore Amber Peters (100 breaststroke and 100 butterfly) each winning two events.

Peters held on for the win in the 100 fly, the closest race of the day, just edging Sage Hill’s Cameron Cline at the wall. Her time of 1 minute, 11.94 seconds was a personal-best.

“We lost a lot of seniors last year,” said Kunert, who raced well despite nursing a sore shoulder. “I think all the girls on the team this year have stepped it up. Our league meets are going to be challenging for us, but for right now we’re doing pretty awesome.”

Cline also finished second in the 50 freestyle for the Lightning girls (2-3), who also saw an impressive effort from Sarah Wesley in the meet-ending 400 free relay. Wesley, swimming the anchor leg, overcame a large deficit to give the Sage Hill girls their first event victory of the day.

Sage Hill Coach Abby Zern was proud of her girls’ effort. The Lightning were without two of their varsity swimmers against Estancia, leaving just six.

For the Sage Hill boys, freshman Andrew Dorne (200 and 500 free), junior Beau Caillouette (50 and 100 free) and junior Jimmy Miller (100 back and 200 IM) each won multiple events.

The Lightning boys (4-1) also won each relay.

Estancia’s boys (1-3) was led by Jeff Crosson, who finished second in the 200 IM and 100 backstroke. The latter time was a personal-best, 1:04.93.

Nonleague200 medley relay -- 1. Sage Hill (Medrek, Barth, Blitzer, Ljungh), 2:01.40.

BOYS

Sage Hill 101, Estancia 55

200 free -- 1. Dorne (SH), 1:57.50; 2. Ljungh (SH), 2:06.51; 3. Young (E), 2:26.53.

200 IM -- 1. Miller (SH), 2:21.35; 2. Crosson (E), 2:26.34; 3. Blitzer (SH), 2:27.12.

50 free -- 1. Caillouette (SH), 24.15; 2. Bonakdar (SH), 26.98; 3. Whiteside (E), 28.64.

100 fly -- 1. Ljungh (SH), 1:04.63; 2. Wayman (E), 1:21.60; 3. MacLean (E), 1:22.32.

100 free -- 1. Caillouette (SH), 53.81; 2. Barth (SH), 56.29; 3. Tasbihchi (E), 1:07.15.

500 free -- 1. Dorne (SH), 5:20.69; 2. Lux (E), 6:38.32; 3. Young (E), 6:41.61.

200 free relay -- 1. Sage Hill (Miller, Barth, Dorne, Caillouette), 1:39.80.

100 back -- 1. Miller (SH), 1:04.67; 2. Crosson (E), 1:04.93; 3. Medrek (SH), 1:13.40.

100 breast -- 1. Barth (SH), 1:14.51; 2. Blitzer (SH), 1:14.85; 3. Bonakdar (SH), 1:25.08.

400 free relay -- 1. Sage Hill (Dorne, Ljungh, Miller, Caillouette), 3:44.06.

GIRLS200 medley relay -- 1. Estancia (Kopp, Kunert, Peters, Barloon), 2:04.77.

Estancia 112, Sage Hill 46

200 free -- 1. Kunert (E), 2:06.27; 2. Benner (SH), 2:29.74; 3. Leon (E), 2:35.54.

200 IM -- 1. Barloon (E), 2:40.96; 2. Conroy (SH), 2:45.39; 3. Kaplan (E), 2:54.37.

50 free -- 1. Kopp (E), 25.31; 2. Cline (SH), 29.43; 3. Carpenter (E), 29.76.

100 fly -- 1. Peters (E), 1:11.94; 2. Cline (SH), 1:12.00; 3. Parsons (E), 1:17.66.

100 free -- 1. Kunert (E), 58.77; 2. Wesley (SH), 1:00.50; 3. Barloon (E), 1:00.51.

500 free -- 1. Parsons (E), 6:47.92; 2. Leon (E), 6:52.27; 3. Carpenter (SH), 7:08.85.

200 free relay -- 1. Estancia (U. Keenawinna, Carpenter, Kunert, Kopp), 1:53.08.

100 back -- 1. Kopp (E), 1:01.14; 2. H. Keenawinna (E), 1:18.93; 3. Johnston (E), 1:22.36.

100 breast -- 1. Peters (E), 1:21.27; 2. Carpenter (E), 1:27.03; 3. Kaplan (E), 1:28.46.

400 free relay -- 1. Sage Hill (Conroy, Cline, Benner, Wesley), 4:21.52.