CdM girls, Newport Harbor boys swim to Battle of the Bay victories
It was top female club swimmers from Corona del Mar High against a deep, water polo-heavy group of girls from Newport Harbor High.
Both groups impressed Tuesday at CdM in the annual Battle of the Bay rivalry meet.
CdM’s girls, who won every race but one, earned a 96-74 victory in the Surf League meet. On the boys’ side, Newport Harbor claimed a 90-80 triumph for its second straight Battle of the Bay win.
Corona del Mar’s girls lost key club swimmers like Maggie Schalow and Milan Bever to graduation, but they are 4-0 in dual meets this year, including a 2-0 league mark.
“I think it’s been going good,” said CdM junior Alex Milisavljevic, who won the 200-yard freestyle in 1 minute, 57.64 seconds and also touched first in the 500 free (5:09.01). “We have a really great community here. The water polo players and the club swimmers get along really well, which is a really nice kind of bonus. I feel good about the races; I think everyone’s trying their best.”
Junior Nikki Lahey and freshman Sofia Szymanowski were the other double individual event winners for CdM, which also won all three relays. Lahey touched first in the 50 free (23.45) and 100 free (53.25), times she said she’s happy with at this point in the season.
Szymanowski powered to wins in the 200 individual medley (2:10.48) and 100 breaststroke (1:05.18). She said she’s a bit out of shape right now because she’s been sick, but she’s enjoying her first high school swimming season.
“It’s way more relaxed,” Szymanowski said. “I feel like more people are supporting you.”
On senior day, CdM senior Taylor Park touched first in the 100 butterfly (1:01.05), and she was also second in the 100 backstroke.
CdM is coached by Chuck Olson, who helped guide the Costa Mesa boys swim team to its first CIF title last spring. Olson is a 1981 CdM graduate and said it’s nice to be home.
Newport Harbor junior Caitlin Stayt was the only individual event winner for the Sailors girls, who are now 0-2 in league. Stayt claimed the backstroke in 1:01.01, and the Sailors’ depth kept things relatively close.
Coach Kevin Potter believes that depth will also help his team at Surf League finals later this month.
Newport Harbor freshman water polo player Madison Mack was second in the 50 free and 100 free in a pair of personal-best times.
The boys’ meet was close throughout, but Newport Harbor gained momentum when both its “A” team and “B” team touched first and second in the 200 free relay. Connor Ohl, Jack Wright, Dash D’Ambrosia and Kai Kaneko — four water polo players — touched first, followed by teammates Mason Netzer, Mateo Abourjeily, William Mattson and Jack McCann.
Ohl, Kaneko, D’Ambrosia and club swimmer Aidan Arie won the meet-ending 400 free relay in 3:23.72 to ice the win for the Sailors, who are 3-2 overall in dual meets and 1-1 in league.
“I love our team right now,” said Arie, who won the 200 free in 1:44.80 and also touched first in the backstroke in 55.02. “It’s good when the water polo boys are having fun, because then they’re racing fast. Everyone’s having fun right now.”
Ohl won the 50 free (21.54) and 100 free (48.21) for the Sailors, while Netzer won the 500 free (5:00.55) and touched second in the 200 free.
Senior Evan Lim was a double event winner for CdM in the 200 IM (2:03.87) and the breaststroke (57.87). Freshman Henry Chang won the butterfly in 53.68 and finished second in the backstroke for the Sea Kings, now 0-2 in league.
Lim said his times were fine but he’s trying to bring more of a sense of competition to the team overall.
“We lost a couple of our faster swimmers,” he said. “They’re mainly water polo instead of swim, so they hung it up and stopped. We’ve got a new group coming in.”
Olson said that Noah Gerard is the lone senior from the CdM boys’ water polo team, which broke through to the CIF Southern Section Open Division semifinals last fall, who is out for swim team.
Both teams conclude the league dual meet season on April 16, when CdM swims at Los Alamitos and Newport Harbor hosts Huntington Beach.
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