Gabert’s happy at finals

LONG BEACH — Things have admittedly changed for Corona del Mar High’s Stephanie Gabert since last season.

Her CdM girls’ swim team is no longer in CIF Southern Section Division II and, following knee surgery in January, she wasn’t swimming her familiar events — the 100-yard breaststroke and 200 individual medley — at Friday’s CIF Division I finals at Belmont Plaza.

The University of Arizona-bound senior won both events at the Division II finals last year.

But even if she couldn’t quite be a champion on Friday, Gabert was a record-setter.

“Not a bad start,” CdM girls’ Coach Doug Volding said after Gabert swam the 200 freestyle championship final in 1 minute, 52.19 seconds, which was good for second and set the CdM girls’ record in the event by more than a second.

Her finish was the best among CdM and Newport Harbor High swimmers at the meet and, as a top-two finish, automatically qualified her for Tuesday’s CIF Southern Section Masters Meet.

Corona del Mar finished seventh in the girls’ team standings with 108 points, and was eighth on the boys’ side with 86 points. Mission Viejo won both the boys’ and girls’ team titles.

“Our re-introduction into Division I was a tough one,” said Volding, whose team won the Division II title last year. “But the girls sure worked hard and threw everything they had into it. They swam their hearts out tonight.”

Amanda Traylor from Los Alamitos established the early lead in the 200 free and didn’t give it up.

But Gabert, who took nearly two seconds off her time from Wednesday’s Division I preliminaries, was as pleased as Volding.

“I was really happy,” Gabert said. “That was a lifetime best. I felt really smooth. I haven’t felt this good in a really long time.”

Gabert also finished sixth in the 500 freestyle championship final, in 5:00.11.

“I really wanted to break that five-minute barrier, but maybe if I get into Masters in that event,” Gabert said.

There are 16 at-large Masters berths per event.

CdM junior Yutaro Yamashita felt the same way after finishing fourth in the boys’ 100 butterfly final, in 51.07 seconds. He said he keeps trying to break the 51-second barrier.

“Maybe if I make it into the Masters Meet,” Yamashita said. “I just want to break 51 so bad. I tried my hardest.”

He also finished second in the consolation final of the 200 freestyle, 10th overall, with a time of 1:41.83.

For Newport Harbor, the only team in the championship finals -- the 200 free relay team of David Linden, Kyle McGhie, Blake Hockenbury and Clint Jorth -- placed fifth in 1:27.97.

“I think we did really good, under the circumstances,” said Hockenbury, a part of the Tars boys squad that won the Sunset League meet last week. “We were trying to peak for league finals, and we tried to extend the taper.”

CdM sophomore Sarah Furgatch was fifth in the girls’ 100 breaststroke (1:06.80), and Volding said she has a solid chance of making the Masters Meet in that event. She was also 11th in the 500 free (5:06.68).

CdM senior Brian Peotter finished sixth in the boys’ 50 freestyle in 21.69 seconds, not far off his previous season-best of 21.61.

“He got kind of a slow start,” CdM boys’ Coach Barry O’Dea said. “I think he was a little nervous. But it was a good swim … [finishing eighth as a team] was big for us, considering where the boys have been the last few years. I’m really happy.”

Peotter then came back for seventh in the 100 free championship final (47.18). He also swam the anchor leg of the 400 free relay, also consisting of Yamashita, Mike Berry and R.J. Baldoni, which was sixth in 3:12.75.

The Sea King girls’ 400 free relay team (Chelsea Pike, Furgatch, Kelsey Larson and Gabert) was also sixth, in 3:37.02. Their 200 free relay team, of Pike, Furgatch, Heather Van Hiel and Gabert, was 13th in 1:41.58.

Pike was 10th -- second in the consolation final -- in both the girls’ 100 and 200 free, finishing in 53.33 seconds and 1:55.04, respectively. Furgatch finished 11th in the 500 free (5:06.68), while Larson was 10th in the 100 breaststroke (1:08.89) and 16th in the girls’ 200 IM (2:15.37).

In the boys’ 200 medley relay, the Sea Kings quartet of Chris Cottrell, Michael Liao, Yamashita and Peotter was 12th in 1:40.37.

In the same event on the girls’ side, CdM’s Katie Indvik, Larson, Britney Wigley and Van Hiel finished 16th in 1:56.84.

Liao’s 14th-place time in the boys’ 100 breaststroke (1:01.60) was a personal best.

Newport Harbor’s Max Joseph finished 16th in the 200 IM with a time of 2:04.31. Jorth was 16th in the 100 free in 48.79 seconds, and Linden finished 16th in the 100 butterfly (53.87).

The Tars’ team of Linden, McGhie, Blake Kelly and Jorth placed 10th in the 400 free relay, in 3:13.11.

MATT SZABO may be reached at (714) 966-4614 or at matthew.szabo@latimes.com.