Laguna gets it done in finale

Last year, Costa Mesa presented a challenge for the Laguna Beach High boys’ swim team.

Sure, the Breakers won their first league title in program history on the boys’ side, but the Mustangs made them earn it after the teams tied their dual meet.

No drama this year, though.

The Breakers showed Wednesday that they are clearly the class of the Orange Coast League. That much was clear after Laguna won every single individual varsity race against Costa Mesa, with the lone exception of the girls’ breaststroke.

The boys’ team won, 118-54, and the girls triumphed by a 119-50 count. Laguna has now easily defeated every league foe in dual meets, with next week’s league finals looming.

“Our swimmers had the best meet of their season today,” Coach Kari Johnson said. “We had beautiful weather and they were pumped to beat Costa Mesa.”

Highlighting the action on the boys’ side was the 200-yard medley relay team of Sean Mulville, Spencer Dodson, Robert Chew and Erik Henrikson, which set a school record by finishing in 1 minute, 47.36 seconds.

Junior Nile Koegel won the 50 freestyle (23.42 seconds) and the 100 butterfly (58.47) for Laguna Beach.

Another two-event winner was Dodson, a junior, who took the 200 free in 1:55.93 and the 500 free in 5:26.06. Sophomore Samer Alkateb finished third and second, respectively, in those races.

Nolan McConnell, another sophomore, also took first in the 100 free (51.62) and the 100 backstroke (59.98). Nicky Brunner took the 200 individual medley in 2:16.0, and fellow sophomore Tommy Renner won the 100 breaststroke in 1:11.22.

The 200 free relay team of Henrikson, Chew, McConnell and Koegel touched first in 1:35.52.

“We started our taper and we dropped a lot of time today,” Johnson said. “I was very proud of everyone’s performance and, more importantly, how they worked together as a team.”

Things were no less dominant on the girls’ side, as Laguna will go for three league titles in a row next week.

Sophomore Yoshi Andersen won the 200 IM in 2:22.13, as well as the 100 free in 57.08 seconds. Andersen was also part of the winning 200 medley relay team that featured Taylor Capobianco, Jessie Holechek and Melena Masson; the Breakers touched first in 2:05.54.

The same four swimmers also won the 400 free relay in 3:57.33.

Capobianco won the 200 free in 2:08.64. Masson showed her versatility, taking the 50 free in 27.51 seconds, as well as the 500 free in 5:32.52.

Other individual winners included junior Paige Watroba in the 100 fly (1:08.09) and Holechek in the 100 back (1:08.02). The winning 200 free relay team of Lexi del Toro, Sydney Saxe, Duncan and Watroba touched first in 1:55 flat.

The Orange Coast League preliminaries are Tuesday, with the finals Thursday. Both will be at the Breakers’ pool.

CIF Southern Section Division III preliminaries are May 13 at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach, with the finals May 15.