Notes: Top swimmers to compete from afar

Orange County's most impressive freshman girl swimmer and the Register's reigning co-female swimmer of the year won't race against each other directly next week as league finals are held throughout the county.

But Lindsey Engel of Crean Lutheran and Melanie Klaren of Aliso Niguel will be in a competition of sorts because of their event selections.

Engel, a freshman, and Klaren, a Cal-bound senior, each picked the 200-yard freestyle as one of their two individual events.

They own the two fastest times in the county this season in the event.

Engel took the county lead from Klaren on Wednesday by blazing a time of 1 minute, 50.79 seconds. Klaren ranks second in the county with a 1:52.17.

Last season, Klaren captured the 200 free at the CIF-SS Division 1 finals in 1:47.44, the third-fastest time in county history.

Engel will also race the 50 free at the Academy League prelims, which are Wednesday at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center at 3 p.m.

Engel, of the Irvine Novaquatics club, leads the county in the 50 free (23.59), 100 free (50.51) and 100 backstroke (55.71).

Klaren's other event at the South Coast League finals will be the 500 free.

Last week, the Mission Viejo Nadadores club swimmer clocked the second-fastest 500 free in the county with a 4:54.64.

The South Coast League's girls prelims are Tuesday at Capistrano Valley at 3 p.m. The Academy and South Coast finals are Friday.

TRACKING CHURNSIDE

Villa Park junior BJ Churnside cracked one minute in the breaststroke (school-record 59.72) against Brea Olinda but the junior will not race the event at the Century League meet at Foothill. Churnside will race in the 50 and 100-yard freestyles.

It will be interesting to see if Churnside dons a tech suit. He raced in a brief-style suit against Brea Olinda. The tech-suits usually lead to even faster performances.