CdM upset

Barry Faulkner

Neither the stopwatch, nor the lineup card told the story for the

Corona del Mar High girls swim team Friday.

But the truth behind the Sea Kings’ surprising second-place finish

at the Pacific Coast League finals at Northwood High was enough to

leave a spirited group of Trojans hoarse.

University High, which CdM defeated, 88-82, last week to cap a

perfect league dual-meet campaign, turned the tables on the two-time

defending league champions to win the finals meet, as well as the

league crown.

Uni, which had just one more qualifier than CdM, finished with

528.5 points. CdM earned 470.

“Almost all our kids swam their best times,” said CdM Coach Doug

Volding, who guided the Sea Kings to the CIF Southern Section

Division II championship last spring. “Now we’re going for CIF.”

Whatever the future holds for these two rivals, University can

forever fly the flag as 2005 league champion.

The CdM girls won three individual league titles, two for super

sophomore Stephanie Gabert.

Gabert repeated as champion in the 100-yard breaststroke, breaking

her own league record with a time of 1 minute, 3.07 seconds. The

reigning CIF Division II breaststroke champion also won the 200

individual medley in 2:06.10.

Lexie Shue was the other CdM individual winner, topping the field

for the third straight year in the 500 freestyle (4:58.36).

Shue and Gabert were also members of the 200 medley and 400 free

relays that finished second to University, despite bettering existing

league records.

Uni also forced CdM to settle for runner-up status in the 200 free

relay.

Junior Ashley Chandler was second in the 50 free (24.91) and third

in the 100 free (54.08), while fellow Sea King Danielle Lavery, a

freshman, was third in the 100 butterfly (58.35).

Shue, the defending league champion in the 200 IM, who elected not

to swim that event at this meet, also finished fourth in the 200 free

(1:57.15).

CdM senior Jordan Anae was fourth in the 100 backstroke (1:01.91)

and the 100 free (55.15).

All of the aforementioned CdM times bettered automatic qualifying

standards for CIF Division II preliminaries, scheduled Friday at the

Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool in Long Beach.

Anae and Lavery rounded out the 200 medley relay, while Tumua

Anae, Ann Winners and Lavery joined Chandler on the 200 free

relay.Chandler and Jordan Anae chipped in on the 400 free relay.

The CdM boys finished fourth as a team (261 points), behind Uni

(475.5), Tesoro (459.5) and Northwood (442).

CdM senior Bryan Buhagiar won the 100 backstroke (56.23) , an

event in which he finished second last year.

CdM freshman Yutaro Yamashita was second in the 200 free (1:46.72)

and third in the 500 free (4:47.06), both of which were CIF automatic

qualifying marks.

Buhagiar and Yamashita were both on the 200 medley and 400 free

relay quartets that posted CIF automatic qualifying times of 1:44.06

and 3:22.60, respectively. Both relays finished fourth.

CdM junior Tom Money was fourth in the 200 free (1:48.85) and was on both aforementioned relays, as was junior Jacob Murphy, who added

a fifth-place showing in the 100 free (50.36).

Junior Marshall Tutton (seventh in the 100 butterfly in 58.96) was

the only other individual championship finalist for CdM boys coach

Matt Flesher.