Shapiros Help Pull Another Fast One

By MICHAEL LAZARUS

May 16, 1996 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

LONG BEACH — Granada Hills High couldn’t have launched a better start in defense of its first City Section girls’ swim title.

The Highlander 200-yard medley relay team of Katherine Nielson, Sarah Clark, Natalie Shapiro and Stephanie Shapiro broke the section record in the opening event of the City finals Wednesday at Belmont Plaza.

Their time of 1 minute 55.11 seconds eclipsed the previous record of 1:55.73, set by Granada Hills in 1993. That relay team included U.S. Olympian Kristine Quance.

Granada Hills used the momentum from the record to dominate the meet, placing first with 237 points, 57 more than second-place El Camino Real.

“We were looking for a good time but we were still really surprised we broke the record,” Natalie Shapiro said.

The same foursome also won the 400 freestyle relay, in 3:51.85.

Sisters Natalie and Stephanie Shapiro each won two individual events, and Nielson placed second in the 100 backstroke (1:01.60).

The Highlanders are surprise champions considering the adversity they faced this season. Since Steve Reardon left to coach Chaminade last year, the season had been plagued by administrative errors under Coach Adam Wahab.

“There would be times we would show up at the wrong pool, things like that,” Stephanie Shapiro said. “There were a lot of problems.”

Wahab finally was replaced last month by assistant Heather Mutz after he failed to turn in time cards for the East Valley League preliminaries. The Highlanders’ season was saved when Van Nuys Coach Steve Kalan allowed Granada Hills into the East Valley meet.

“It was a stressful couple of weeks but it’s calmed down now,” Mutz said.

Stephanie Shapiro, a sophomore, won the 200 individual medley in 2:10.56 and the 500 freestyle in 5:04.65, each for the second year in a row. Natalie Shapiro, a junior, won the 200 freestyle in 1:57.91 and the 100 butterfly in :59.91.

Sabra Martini helped El Camino Real to a second-place finish with victories in the 50 (:26.01) and 100 (:56.40) freestyle.

In the boys’ finals, Mitchell Hefter of Cleveland won the 50 freestyle (21.53) by more than a second and the 100 freestyle (48.13) by more than 3 1/2 seconds. Hefter qualified for the U.S. Junior nationals in the 50.

“I was stoked for this race all day,” Hefter said. “My times have been dropping. I was waiting for this.”

Cleveland, in only its third year with a swim program, finished third with 147 points.

Venice, which swept all three relays, narrowly defeated defending champion Birmingham, 236-220, for the team title.