MAKING HIS MOVE: Kevin Sellars of Marina pulls into the lead during the final laps of the 500-yard freestyle at the Sunset League finals. Sellars also won the 200 individual medley. CINDY YAMANAKA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER |
Shields leads records parade at Sunset finals
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Swimming roundup: Edison girls, Newport Harbor boys claim team titles.
Tom Shields and his fellow Sunset League swimmers had plenty of revisions for the league's record book Friday.
Edison's No. 2 girls and Newport Harbor's No. 4 boys took the team titles at Golden West College.
Shields and Co. combined to set 12 league records in the 22-event meet.
“The Sunset League will represent at CIF most definitely,” said Shields, a junior at Edison.
Shields shined the brightest with a pair of records that carried some extra credentials. Shields challenged the national age-group record in the 200-yard freestyle by clocking a county-leading and lifetime-best 1 minute, 36.69 seconds.
Shields' time put him third on the all-time Orange County list behind Eric Diehl (1:35.55) and Aaron Peirsol (1:35.87). He was exactly half a second off Diehl's 1990 national age-group record for 15-16 boys.
Shields returned to capture the 100 butterfly in a county-leading and lifetime-best 47.98 seconds.
The time placed him second on the county list behind Michael Cavic (47.13).
“That's very, very impressive,” Fountain Valley coach Sean Elo said.
Shields ended the meet by almost making up about a three-body deficit on the anchor of the 400 free relay. Newport Harbor's Clinton Jorth, once a club swimming teammate of Shields at Splash, held on to give the Sailors the victory (3:10.05) with a lifetime-best split of 46.48.
Shields split a 44.03, just off his epic 43.93 split from earlier this season. “I'm sure I'll see him in the Olympics someday,” said Jorth, the Register's reigning boys water polo player of the year.
Edison's girls scored 501 points to outdistance rival Fountain Valley (390) to collect its first league title since 1985.
The Chargers showed their strength in the medley and 400 free relays. Edison's record-setting 400 free relay of Alli Gillespie, Yasi Jahanshahi, Kierstin Colesen and Cindy Tran crushed the league record by almost 61/2 seconds with a swift 3:30.92.
The UCLA-bound Jahanshahi won the butterfly in a county-leading and meet-record 55.61 to move to seventh on the county all-time list. Tran won the backstroke in a county-leading and meet-record 55.41 to climb to fourth on the county list. Gillespie won the 200 free in a county-leading 1:51.94.
Fountain Valley's Cynthia Fascella won the 50 free in a quick 23.57.
Newport Harbor's boys scored 484 points to handle runner-up Los Alamitos, which finished with 425. The Griffins defeated the Sailors in the teams' dual meet.
Newport Harbor highlighted its title by taking the 200 free relay in a meet-record 1:25.76. The Sailors' team consisted of water polo players David Linden, Blake Kelly, Colin McKibbin and Jorth.
Los Alamitos' girls also produced a strong 200 free relay (1:37.55).
In the Pacific Coast League: Host Corona del Mar edged Irvine, 462-461, to capture the boys league title while University's girls cruised to another title. Beckman's Charlie Rimkus won the 200 individual medley (1:52.36) and 500 freestyles (4:26.36) in county-leading times. Irvine's Rikiya Yano claimed the boys 50 in a strong 21.28. Laguna Hills' Robbie Sullivan won the butterfly in 49.40.
In the Sea View League: El Toro's top-ranked boys and No. 9 girls won league titles at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center. El Toro's 200 free relay of Steven Donohue, Tyler Small, Tyler Westerfield and Griffin White won in a county-leading 1:25.07 — second fastest in county history. Trabuco Hills' 400 relay of Conor Campbell, Loren Gould, Dan McClure and Eric Crismon won in a county-leading 3:09.15. Crismon claimed the 100 free in 45.93.
In the South Coast League: Host Capistrano Valley claimed its first league crown since 2001 while Mission Viejo's top-ranked girls also won a league title. Aliso Niguel's Rheanna Vaughn won the 200 free (1:51.96) and butterfly (57.58). Mission Viejo's Jon Daniec claimed the 500 in 4:30.60 while Dana Hills' Jon Howard took the 100 back in a county-leading 51.80.
>> Read more in Boys Swimming and Girls Swimming
Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com
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