Sea Kings are back in the saddle again

IRVINE ? The Corona del Mar High girls’ swim team won both the Pacific Coast League and CIF Southern Section Division II titles in 2004, so it served as a rude awakening when the Sea Kings fell to second in both meets last year.

If this year’s Pacific Coast League finals are any indication, the Sea Kings are back to 2004 form.

Corona del Mar (493 points) retook the league championship by a whopping 121 points over second-place University ? the same team that dethroned the Sea Kings last year ? on Friday at Beckman High.

“The girls wanted it bad,” Corona del Mar girls’ Coach Doug Volding said. “They didn’t like the way it ended last year.”

The Sea Kings put up 13 personal-best times en route to the title. Leading the way for the Sea Kings were senior Lexie Shue and junior Stephanie Gabert, who was named co-swimmers of the meet on the girls’ side.

“Gabert is like Lexie; they just win,” Volding said.

Gabert opened the meet by helping the Sea Kings win the 200-yard medley relay with teammates Kelsey Larson, Katie Indvik and Tumua Anae in a personal-best time of 1 minute, 52.04 seconds. Then she won the 200 individual medley with a personal-best time of 2:06.43.

She concluded the meet by winning the 100 breaststroke in 1:05.32 and anchoring the winning 400 freestyle relay team that included Ashley Chandler, Shue and Sarah Furgatch. Corona del Mar’s time of 3:36.19 in the relay was its best time of the year.

Shue opened the meet by taking second in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:06.43up. In the 500 freestyle, Shue broke her league record with a personal-best time of 4:55.35, more than seven seconds ahead of the second-place swimmer.

“I’m going to miss her so much. The longer the race, the tougher she gets,” Volding said.

The Corona del Mar girls ran away with the victory despite not getting any points in the 200 freestyle relay. The top three teams in the event, University, Northwood and Corona del Mar, were disqualified for swimming in the wrong lanes. So fourth-place Laguna Beach ended up in first.

Volding said Corona del Mar’s time still counts toward CIF Southern Section qualifying.

The Corona del Mar boys also had a solid showing in the CIF finals, taking fourth place with 351.50 points. Jacob Murphy, who is going to UCLA to play water polo, swam a personal-best time in the 100 breaststroke, taking third place with a time of 1:01.24. Murphy also took third in the 100 freestyle at 48.76.

Yutaro Yamashita made a splash as a sophomore. Yamashita took second place in the 100 butterfly with a personal-best time of 52.41 and third in the 500 freestyle at 4:46.35.

Corona del Mar’s 400 freestyle relay team of Scott Sanford, Mike Berry, Murphy and Yamashita took six seconds off its season best and finished third at 3:18.34.

Also recording personal-best times were Tom Money in the 200 freestyle; Jeff Lee in the 200 individual medley; Sanford in the 50 and 100 freestyle; and Brian Peotter in the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly.

“I feel like we accomplished the goal we set out for ourselves,” Corona del Mar boys’ Coach Barry O’Dea said. “We put a lot of guys in CIF and we competed as a team.”