Swimmers often like to use yearly time comparisons to spot progress and draw motivation.
Capistrano Valley’s Brooke Lorentzen, one of Orange County’s best distance swimmers, has found both in the 500-yard freestyle.
In late March last spring, she clocked a time of 4 minutes, 56.19 seconds in the 500 freestyle in a dual meet at El Toro.
This season, the Minnesota-bound senior has twice blazed into the 4:53-range, including a season-best 4:53.71 on April 1.
The yearly comparisons show that Lorentzen is ahead of her pace last season, and considering how well that campaign ended, it’s an encouraging sign.
“It’s kind of a good self-esteem boost,” the Mission Viejo Nadadores club swimmer said this week after clocking a 4:53.75 against Tesoro.
“(I’ve) started out the 500 faster (this season),” Lorentzen said. “So I think at the next dual meets, I’m going to try to keep dropping it and (when) league comes around and CIF comes around, definitely drop that a lot more.”
Last season, Lorentzen captured the CIF-SS Division 1 title in the 500 in a lifetime-best 4:45.19.
Division 1 will again offer Lorentzen plenty of competition, but her biggest challenge could come from Woodbridge’s Daniela Georges. In a club meet for Aquazot earlier this spring, the junior clocked a 4:39.82, 2½seconds off Janet Evans’ county record set in 1988.
Georges does have a few different events to pick from when it comes time for CIF.
“I saw her (recently) … and congratulated her,” Lorentzen said of Georges. “It’s going to be interesting this year.”
THE LEGACY LIVES
Tom Shields’ legacy at Edison continues. Holly Shields-Crow, the aunt of the American record-setting butterflier, is now coaching with Diggy Riley at Edison.
“She is amazing,” Riley said. “We are totally ‘old school’ and immediately hit it off.”
Shields-Crow’s daughter, Riley, is a freshman swimmer at Edison. She was spotted wearing a parka at the recent Edison-Los Alamitos meet. The name embroidered on the heavy green and yellow jacket: “Tom Shields.”
Tom Shields’ name also could surface at next month’s Division 1 finals. There have been whispers that Redlands’ Kyle Gornay might go after Shields’ 2009 national high school record in the 200 free (1:33.83).
NOTES
Calvary Chapel’s improved boys team moved to 2-1 in the Orange Coast League with a 105-32 victory against Sage Hill on Thursday. Sophomore Andrew Rofael won the 100 butterfly in 58.77 and sophomore Matt Roe claimed the backstroke in 1:00.97. …
Santa Margarita will host its sixth annual dive invitational today, starting with the girls competition at 11 a.m. Mission Viejo senior Alexandra Caplan, who claimed the title at the Mission Viejo Invitational, is among the 26 entries for the girls meet. Her 11-dive list will be exclusively on the 1-meter springboard. …
JSerra’s Kaitlyn Albertoli became the first county girl this season to break 1:50 in the 200 freestyle by blasting a 1:49.47 against Mater Dei on Tuesday. She also won the 50 in 23.60, just off her season-best of 23.52.
Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com
