Mater Dei swim coach Ken Dory loves the dual-meet format because of days such as Thursday.
The Monarchs’ No. 9-ranked girls used their depth and strategy to open the Trinity League with a 99-70 dual-meet victory at No. 3 JSerra.
“I wish there was a CIF championship for dual meets,” Dory said. “I’m much more about team competition.”
Mater Dei’s No. 8 boys won, 114-54.
The Monarchs’ girls (2-1-1, 1-0) held their own in first-place finishes. JSerra, while not yet at full-strength, won six of the 11 events but the Monarchs racked up the team points in the races for second-third-fourth place. The top-five places score points in a dual meet.
Mater Dei’s depth was especially evident in the 100-yard freestyle. JSerra’s Kaitlyn Albertoli outdueled Mater Dei’s Aislinn Light to touch first in 51.42 seconds, but Light (51.99) led a second-third-fourth sweep for the Monarchs.
“I think our team is pretty strong,” said Light, who won the 100 backstroke in 56.75. “We have a lot of kids swimming.”
Dory utilized his depth to make a strategic move in the 200 free relay, loading two strong teams in an effort to finish first-second. He guessed correctly that JSerra would be vulnerable and the Monarchs grabbed the top two spots to take the event, 12-2.
Mater Dei also captured the medley relay as Light, freshmen Lauren Openshaw and Brianna Buckle and Brittany Kampfer clocked a season-best 1:50.37.
“We felt nervous at the beginning (of the meet) but we pulled through,” said Kampfer, who captured the 200 (1:56.37) and 500 (5:03.44) freestyles.
The absences for JSerra (1-2, 0-1) included transfer Sonia Wang, who becomes eligible in mid-April.
“We definitely gear toward the end of the season to make our best push toward CIF,” first-year Lions coach Kevin Clements said.
Karli Thuen joined Albertoli (50 free, 23.55) as a double-winner for JSerra, taking the 200 individual medley (2:09.12) and 100 butterfly (58.49).
JSerra’s Garrett Arbogast swept the 50 (22.07) and 100 (48.72) freestyles while Mater Dei’s Spencer Carroll took the fly in 55.02.
In a boys meet:
Loyola of Los Angeles 102, No. 2 Corona del Mar 68: Justin Hanson (1:51.34), Tyler Lin (1:52.67) and Taylor Cortens (1:53.48) swept the top three places in the 200 IM and Lin won the breaststroke in a swift 56.79 but the Cubs swept a double-dual meet at Capistrano Valley.
The Cougars’ Nick Norman impressed by sweeping the 200 (1:38.68) and 500 (4:23.76) freestyles in automatic All-America times.
Capistrano Valley’s Rafael Felix won the 50 free in 21.58 for the county’s other victory in the meet.
Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com
