In the swim of things

Mike Sciacca

The meet season isn’t a month old, and already the Laguna Beach High

boys’ and girls’ swim teams have taken on a big challenge.

The girls’ varsity squad was in Long Beach Thursday for the

Millikan Relays Prelims, a CIF meet that draws close to 60 teams from

the Southern Section.

A strong showing there could qualify various Breakers relays teams

for Saturday’s relays finals at Belmont Plaza pool.

Last week, Laguna sent its boys’ varsity swimmers to the Millikan

Relays, also held at Belmont Plaza, and qualified its 6 by 50

freestyle relay team for last Saturday’s finals.

Laguna finished in 15th place, overall.

“I thought the guys did pretty well,” Laguna coach Rick McKee

said. “We’re very stacked when it comes to good freestyle swimmers.”

A few of the top swimmers among a talented stable of freestyle

athletes on the boys’ team include Ryan Fair, Shawn Pfendler, Trevor

Frimond and Adam Kaplan.

Among the group of swimmers that will represent Laguna at this

week’s girls’ relays are Breanna Duplisea, Kat Gordon, Jessica McKee,

Addison Doud, Erin Reid, Celia Huling and Brittnay Forrest.

A majority of the Laguna swimmers are water polo players.

Laguna will enter teams in the 6 x 50 and 4 x 100 freestyle

relays, the 6 x 100 individual medley relay, the 4 x 50 medley relay,

the 4 x 50 butterfly relay and the 4 x 50 breaststroke relay.

“I think our 4 by 100 free relay team will be really strong, and

our 6 by 50 free relay also should be pretty good,” Rick McKee said.

Prior to the Millikan Relays, Laguna’s only other competition had

been a season-opening tri-meet with Trabuco Hills and St. Margaret’s

on March 8.

Laguna opened up its Pacific Coast League schedule Wednesday with

a home meet against Tesoro, one of the teams whom McKee considered a

favorite for the league crown.

The other, he said, would be Northwood, which won the boys’ and

girls’ CIF-Southern Section Division II championship last year.

The Breakers host Corona del Mar on Wednesday.

And where would Laguna fit into the league mix?

Hard to say, seeing as how the Breakers don’t have the “numbers”

when it comes to swimmers, as compared to other league squads.

“We have, maybe, two swimmers per event, while our foes might have

three or so, and right there, they out-point us,” McKee said. “I tell

my swimmers to swim for experience, for the competition. I tell them

not to worry about the score. I’m concerned with how they are doing

on an individual level, and it they progressing in their times. Those

things are what’s important for them.”