CdM brings it back home

LONG BEACH ? Everyone on the Corona del Mar High girls’ swim team remembers the agony of losing to University by four points in last year’s CIF Southern Section Division II finals last year. With the possible exception of Sarah Furgatch, who was in eighth grade at the time.

As disappointing as the narrow defeat was, it served as motivation for this year’s squad. In recalling what that defeat did to the team, junior Stephanie Gabert put it best when she remarked, matter-of-factly, “It really bugged us.”

The Sea Kings, having already recaptured the Pacific Coast League championship University swiped from them last year, finished the job on Saturday at Belmont Plaza Pool. Spurred on by Gabert’s two individual victories, Corona del Mar defeated second-place University, 248-216, to claim the CIF Division II title once again.

Corona del Mar goes into Tuesday’s CIF Southern Section Masters Meet with a full head of steam.

“It’ll be like the first Super Bowl for us,” Corona del Mar Coach Doug Volding said of the first-ever Masters Meet.

Gabert edged Walnut’s Rachel Grant in the 200-yard individual medley by less than a second, finishing in 2:03.44. Grant touched the wall in second at 2:03.65.

“That was a great battle,” Volding said.

Gabert, who set the Division II record in the 100 breaststroke last year with a time of 1:02.99, was more than a second off that pace on Saturday, but still won by nearly two full seconds with a season-best 1:04.35.

Gabert tallied 40 points for Corona del Mar in her two victories. Despite not breaking her own record, the meet couldn’t have gone any better for Gabert.

“Probably not,” she said. “I’m pretty happy with how I did, I’m proud of my times. My breaststroke has been a little off this year. I was just trying to go for my fastest time this season.”

Others contributing mightily to Corona del Mar’s cause in individual events included senior Lexie Shue, who had a third-place time of 4:57.08 in the 500 freestyle and a seventh-place time of 1:55.53 in the 200 freestyle; senior Ashley Chandler, who had a fifth-place time of 24.23 in the 50 freestyle and an eighth-place time of 53.92 in the 100 freestyle; senior Tumua Anae, who took eighth in the 50 freestyle at 24.76, and 14th in the 100 freestyle; and Furgatch, an eighth-place finisher in the 500 freestyle at 5:07.89.

The Sea Kings also picked up points in the consolation finals. Furgatch won the consolation heat of the 200 freestyle and finished ninth overall with a time of 1:55.77, and sophomore Allison Peotter who had a personal-best mark of 1:02.83 in the consolation heat of the 100 backstroke, good for 12th place overall.

“That was phenomenal,” Volding said. “That’s points for us.”

Corona del Mar also did major damage in the three relays, taking second in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays and fourth in the 200 medley relay. Gabert, Anae, Shue, Chandler and Furgatch each swam on two of the relays, with Kelsey Larson and Katie Indvik each swimming one.

All three relay teams advanced to the Masters Meet.

With the division title back in their hands, the Sea Kings are pumped up to participate in the inaugural Masters Meet on Tuesday.

“Especially now that we can get a few days of rest,” Chandler said. “Mr. V is excited. He said we don’t have to worry about throwing him in the pool. He said if we win Masters, he’ll jump in himself.”

The Sea Kings and University were well ahead of third-place Thousand Oaks (174 points), Palm Desert (158) and Northwood (154).

The Corona del Mar boys finished 15th overall with 50 points. La Canada won the boys’ team title decisively with 329 points, followed by University and Alta Loma (175 points each).

Sophomore Yutaro Yamashita led the charge for the Sea Kings, taking fifth place in the 200 freestyle at 1:43.54 and sixth in the 500 freestyle with a time of 4:44.24. Senior Jacob Murphy won the consolation heat of the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:00.96, good for ninth place overall.

The boys’ 400 freestyle relay team took second in its consolation final.