Peirsol pervasive at Foothill Games
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SANTA ANA - When your sights are set on the Olympics, medals from
the prestigious Foothill Swim Games hardly measure up.
All the same, Newport Harbor High sophomore sensation Aaron Peirsol won
two individual races, anchored two winning relays, then picked up the
Male Swimmer of the Meet trophy Saturday, in yet another thoroughly
impressive performance at Foothill High.
Peirsol, who completed a full club workout earlier in the day and left
his featured event (the backstroke) for someone else to conquer, won the
100-yard butterfly in a personal-record 50.97. The national team member
came close to his PR in the 200 individual medley, winning in 1:53.71. He
came from behind to edge Irvine anchor man Jason Hwang in the 200
freestyle relay, which Harbor won in a school-record 1:29.14,
three-hudredths faster than the Vaqueros. Ryan Lean, Joey Snelgrove and
Peter Belden contributed to the 200 relay triumph, while Lean, Belden and
Ryan Gough joined Peirsol to clock a winning 400 free relay time of
3:16.21.
Belden also won the 50 free (22.50), while Newport Harbor girls standouts
Nicole Mackey and Carley Geehr earned additional victories in individual
events.
Mackey, a freshman, topped the field in the 200 IM, with a school-record
time of 2:03.61. She was second in the 100 butterfly with a 57.62
clocking.
Geehr, a sophomore Pasadena transfer competing in her first meet for the
Sailors after recovering from an injury, won the 100 breaststroke in a
school-record 1:05.53. She also finished second in the 100 backstroke
(59.54).
Mackey, Geehr, freshman Hayley Peirsol and senior Amy Murphy also teamed
for victories in the 200 medley relay (1:50.80), as well as the 400 free
relay (3:35.60). Both times were school records.
Hayley Peirsol was second in the 500 free (5:07.29) and third in the 200
IM (2:11.59), while Murphy was runner-up in the 200 free (1:59.95) to
help the Harbor girls finish third as a team. Newport’s 174 points were
topped only by Irvine (207) and Santa Margarita (204).
Lean was third in the 200 free (1:48.36) and the 500 free (4:47.79), as
the Sailors’ 205 team points were second only to Irvine’s 293.
Murphy was sixth in the 100 free (55.75) and Ball was eighth in the 100
backstroke (1:02.22).
Costa Mesa High’s Alex Sarris (boys) and Erin Bayes (girls) each swam in
championship finals Saturday, finishing sixth.
Sarris’ time of 23.22 in the 50 free was a PR and Bayes went 25.74 in the
50 free.
Sarris was also ninth in the 100 free (51.16) and Bayes was 10th in the
100 free (56.53).
Mesa’s Wendy Martinovich was eighth in the 100 breaststroke (1:11.54),
while her twin sister, Jody, was ninth in the 500 free (5:31.68) and 10th
in the 200 IM with a PR of 2:18.02.
Mike Whitman represented the Mustang boys with 10th-place finishes in the
100 breaststroke (1:08.42) and the 200 IM (2:11.65).
The Martinovich sisters, Bayes and Katie Roche teamed to finish 11th in
the 200 free relay (1:49.24) and 12th in the 400 free relay (3:58.87).
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