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Peirsol pervasive at Foothill Games

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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