Klaren sizzles in Aliso Niguel debut

LAKE FOREST Melanie Klaren wasted no time Friday showing her new team what she can do.

In her first race for Aliso Niguel’s girls swim team, Klaren won the 200-yard freestyle in a sizzling 1 minute, 52.79 seconds at El Toro.

Klaren’s All-America consideration time helped led the ninth-ranked Wolverines beat El Toro, 90.5-79.5, in the season-opener for each squad.

Klaren, a recent transfer from Mater Dei, also claimed the 100 free in a swift 52.68 seconds, which missed the All-America consideration standard by three tenths of a second.

“She’s impressive,” Aliso Niguel coach Ryan Cox said of Klaren, who also helped Aliso Niguel win two relays. "She already is very-much a team player."

Klaren surprised herself in the 200 freestyle.

“I was really surprised,” she said. “If I went 1:54, I said I’d be happy.”

Friday’s meet marked Klaren’s first high school competition since May of 2008. She skipped her sophomore season at Mater Dei to focus on training for a May meet for the U.S. junior national team.

“It was fun,” Klaren said of Friday. “I know what to expect now for dual meets. … It’s fun to be here with Aliso because the girls are awesome.”

Klaren joins forces with Navy-bound Rheanna Vaughn to give the Wolverines’ a powerful 1-2 punch.

"Her and Melanie are very similar in (their) competitiveness," Cox said.

Vaughn, a teammate of Klaren with the Mission Viejo Nadadores’ club, touched first in the 200 individual medley in 2:13.37 and took the 100 fly in 58.71.

“I’m excited for this year,” Vaughn said. “We’re really strong. We have a lot of club swimmers. We have more depth than we’ve had.”

Aliso Niguel was missing standouts Camille Merwin and Stephanie Schlobohm while El Toro was without its top sprinter, Kelsey Engel.

Senior Katie Lind also highlighted the victory by out-touching El Toro’s Torey Kruisheer to claim the 100 backstroke in 1:02.07.

El Toro senior Catherine Aguilar touched first in the 100 breaststroke with a 1:12.42.

In the boys meet, fourth-ranked El Toro defeated Aliso Niguel, 107-63. Sophomore Tanner Cridland helped pace the Chargers by claiming the 100 butterfly in 54.68.

Aliso Niguel’s Janardan Burns claimed the 200 (1:50.77) and 500 (4:50.47) freestyles. El Toro freshman Joey Colton finished second in the 200 free (1:51.95) and won the backstroke (57.38).