CdM girls eye repeat glory

Rick Devereux

The Corona del Mar High girls swim team will look to repeat as CIF

Southern Section Division II champions as the preliminaries get under

way at the Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool in Long Beach.

CdM has 21 entries in the preliminaries, the most of any

Newport-Mesa school. The Sea King boys have 11 entries.

The Newport Harbor boys and girls, both teams fresh off Sea View

League titles, have 14 and nine entries, respectively, in Division I.

Golden West League boys champion Costa Mesa has eight while Golden

West League girls champion Estancia has seven in Division III. The

Mustangs will also have five girls and the Eagles will have four boys

entries.

CdM’s Stephanie Gabert claimed the top qualifying time (2:06.10)

in the 200-yard individual medley. She also posted the top qualifying

time in the 100 breaststroke (1:03.07).

Newport Harbor’s Dan Furman had the top qualifying time for all

divisions in the 50 free (20.90). William Wollam of Division IV

Rubidoux was the only other swimmer to swim a sub-21 second 50

(20.97).

“As a team, we taper and lean toward having our best times for

league,” Furman said. “I’m excited about the prospect of winning

CIF.”Furman also qualified with the fourth fastest time in the 100

free (47.03) and, during the league finals, swam the anchor leg of

the second-place finishing 200 free relay (1:27.70) and 400 free

relay (3:14.47).

Several relay teams have the second fastest qualifying times in

their division, including three CdM girls squads (200 medley, 200

free and 400 free) and Costa Mesa’s boys 200 free team.

Individuals who had qualified second include Costa Mesa’s Adam

Douglas in the 200 free (1:47.72), CdM’s Ashley Chandler in the 50

free (24.27) and CdM’s Lexie Shue in the 500 free (4:58.36). Douglas

also qualified third in the 100 free (48.59) as did Estancia’s Shea

Kopp in the 50 free (25.17).

The Division I prelims start today at noon with Divisions II and

III Thursday at 10 a.m. The finals for all divisions are Saturday at

various times.

Sage Hill, which had Allison Grigonis (200 IM and 100 back) and

Dan Chen (100 free) qualify in Division IV, swam its preliminaries

Tuesday.