Girls swimming: Harbor girls in CIF title hunt

Barry Faulkner

BELMONT SHORE - Newport Harbor High girls swimming coach Ken Lamont

didn’t initiate the rumor that his Sailors could capture their first CIF

Southern Section team championship ever. He heard it through the

grapevine.

Lamont, whose Sailors did plenty to strengthen their case at Thursday’s

Division I preliminaries, said opposing coaches took notice of the

arsenal of talent the Tars will present at tonight’s 6 o’clock finals at

Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool.

“I was looking at some results (posted on a wall) and I heard the San

Clemente coach talking to the Irvine Coach,” Lamont said. “Irvine has us

winning and I have (three-time defending Division I champion) Irvine

winning, so it should be interesting.”

Captivating the interest of Harbor supporters were quality showings

Thursday by sophomore Carly Geehr, freshman Nicole Mackey, freshman

Hayley Peirsol, junior Jennifer Arrow and senior Amy Murphy, who all

earned spots in eight-swimmer championship finals.

Geehr, who won Division III section titles in the 200-yard individual

medley and the 500 freestyle last season, representing Mayfield High of

Pasadena, qualified first in the 200 free (1:50.60) and fourth in the 500

free (4:56.04).

Her effort in the 200 free, her favorite event, was .16 faster than her

previous best this season.

Mackey, competing in her first prep postseason, qualified second in the

200 individual medley (2:04.98) and third in the 100 butterfly (57.84).

Peirsol qualified seventh in the 200 IM and the 500 freestyle. Her time

in the 200 IM (2:11.42) was .17 faster than her previous best this

season. She touched out in 5:03.85 in the 500 free, finishing second in

the same heat Geehr won.

Arrow qualified fifth in the 100 breaststroke (1:06.83), a drop of .72

from her previous best this spring.

Murphy qualified seventh in the 100 free (53.86), a drop of .02 from her

season best.

The Tars’ 400 free relay of Peirsol, Geehr, Mackey and Murphy, qualified

first in 3:34.50, more than a second faster than it had ever gone.

Newport’s 200 medley relay, consisting of Peirsol (backstroke), Geehr

(breaststroke), Mackey (butterfly) and Murphy (freestyle), qualified

third in 1:50.74.

Murphy led the Sailors who made the consolation finals (qualifiers 9-16),

posting the 10th-best time in the 200 free (1:55.63). The clocking was

more than two seconds faster than she’d gone this year.

Harbor freshman Mai Tajima qualified 11th in the 100 backstroke, shaving

more than a second off her previous best with a time of 1:02.20.

Newport freshman Jenna Murphy is the first alternate, 17th overall, in the 200 IM and junior Erin Ball is the second alternate (18th) in the 100 backstroke.

The 200 free relay, made up of Ball, Jenna Murphy, Annie Wight and

Tajima, is also the second alternate.

Alternates could replace entries that scratch.

Arrow (200 IM) and Jenna Murphy (100 backstroke) competed but did not

qualify in those events.

“Everyone swam as expected,” Lamont said. “There are going to be a lot of

close ones (tonight).”

Lamont said he expects Geehr to fare better than her qualifying spot in

the 500 free and that he’d be surprised if Mackey didn’t move up in the

butterfly.