Laguna regroups in league
The Breakers began their Orange Coast League slate Tuesday and took the first step in defending their title by defeating visiting Estancia, 12-6. Coach Don Davis substituted players freely throughout the match. Teague Hamilton, Morgan Lebby, Matt Meisberger, Zach Pratto and Andrew Koumas had wins in singles play. Austin Loomis/Oliver Nasiell and Beau Heussenstamm/Casey Kimball scored wins in doubles action.
In nonleague play, Laguna fell, 14-4, to Mater Dei on Wednesday and lost, 13-5, to San Clemente, on March 9.
Next week, the Breakers play 3:15 p.m. league games against Godinez on Tuesday at Santa Ana Valley High and home against Costa Mesa on Thursday.
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Track and Field
One of the special events associated with Laguna Beach High athletics takes place Saturday with the staging of the 2012 Trophy Invite.
This year, the 44th edition of the event is attracting 32 teams and 1,500 athletes. Among the competitors is the national record holder in the girls’ 800 meters (Harvard-Westlake senior Amy Weissenbach), as well as some of the top male athletes in the boys’ 1,600 and 3,200 meters, Laguna boys’ coach Scott Wittkop said.
The starting time for the event is 8:41 a.m., the two-mile time run by Eric Hulst, a Laguna legend and 1975 CIF state champion who died in 1992 at age 34 after suffering from brain cancer. The Laguna track is named in honor of Hulst and the Trophy Invite’s 3,200 is known as the Eric Hulst Memorial 3,200 Meter Run.
The competition runs until approximately 6 p.m.
In meet action last week, both the Laguna boys’ and girls’ teams took on El Dorado on March 8. The meet was not scored. Highlights from the boys’ meet included Tyler Nicols running a 21.9 in the 200, Spencer Anderson winning the 100 hurdles in 16.6 seconds and Avery Crowl taking the long jump at 19-7.
Laguna athletes competed March 9 at the Irvine Invitational. The big highlight was turned in by Janie Crawford, who set a school record in the girls’ triple jump. Crawford, just a freshman, jumped 34 feet 4. She also finished in third place in the 800 meters and ran a leg on Laguna’s 4 by 400 relay team that finished second.
Laguna girls’ Coach Steve Lalim said that Crawford eclipsed the previous record set by Lisa Fegraus, who turned in a 32-5 in the triple jump in 1982.
“Janie is a very gifted athlete,” Lalim said. “She can be successful at whatever she attempts. To go along with her talents, she is a very hard worker, she pushes herself at practice, she’s a great teammate and just a great person. She has a very bright future in track and field. I am very proud of her.”
Other Laguna girls’ highlights from the Irvine Invitational: Marina Paul, 800 (second place); 4 by 400 relay (second place); Marlee Grosher, long jump (third place), triple jump (seventh place); Tori Toma and Amy Hewlett, 4 by 400 relay (second place);
For the Laguna boys, Veda Vebbolar ran a 10:27 in the 3,200 meters, freshman Grant Barton ran a 10:30 in the 3,200 and Nicholas Keith Bevilaqua took second place in the triple jump at 39-9.
Next week, both Breakers teams run at Calvary Chapel in a 3 p.m. Orange Coast League meet Thursday.
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Swimming
Breakers freshman Erik Juliusson broke two Laguna boys’ records by winning both the boys’ 500-yard freestyle and 100-yard backstroke during a nonleague meet against San Clemente on March 9. The Tritons defeated the Breakers, 103-67, in the boys’ meet, and in the girls’ meet, the Tritons squeezed past the Breakers, 85-84.
Juliusson, competing in his first meet for the Breakers, won the 500 free in 4 minutes 54.77 seconds. He won the 100 backstroke in 55.09 seconds. Juliusson also swam a 50.38 leadoff split in the boys’ 400 free relay in an event won by the Breakers, who posted a team time of 3:28.04. Samer Alkateb, Riley Thomas and Billy Wild rounded out the 400 free relay team. The foursome also swam the 200 medley relay in 1:44.36 for second place.
On Wednesday, Laguna started its Orange Coast League schedule with a home meet against Estancia. The Breaker girls won, 117-42, and the Breaker boys won by a 133-26 score.
Girls’ highlights: Melena Masson, 200 free (1:59.88, first place); 100 free (55.99, first place);Yoshi Andersen, 50 free (25.94, first place); 100 free (57.47, second place); Lexi Del Toro, 50 free (27.70, second place), 100 breaststroke (1:16.32, second place); Makenzie Fischer, 100 breaststroke (1:14.79, first place); 200 free (2:04.28, second place); Faith Hale, 100 butterfly (1:15.17, first place); Jenna Knott, 100 breaststroke (1:19.57, third place); 200 medley relay (Lila Vera, Del Toro, Andersen, Masson, 1:55.93, first place); 200 free relay (Andersen, Masson, Fischer, Vera, 1:38.54, first place); 400 free relay (Del Toro, Hale, Knott, Fischer, 4:15.18, first place).
Boys’ highlights: Samer Alkateb, 100 free (54.25, first place); Nolan Del Toro, 100 butterfly (1:04.94, second place); Erik Henrikson, 50 free (23.73, first place); Erik Juliusson, 200 free (1:51.53, first place), 100 backstroke (55.49, first place); Tommy Renner, 50 free (24.46, second place); Caleb Scott, 100 individual medley (2:17.40, first place), 100 breaststroke (1:08.02, second place); Billy Wild, 100 breaststroke (1:07.85, first place), 100 butterfly (54.74, first place); 200 medley relay (Juliusson, Renner, Wild, Henrikson, 1:46.39, first place); 200 free relay (Henrikson, Baldridge, Alkateb, Renner, 1:38.54, first place); 400 free relay (Juliusson, Renner, Alkateb, Wild, 3:39.14, first place).
Laguna travels to Mission Viejo next Thursday for a 3:15 p.m. nonleague meet with the Diablos.
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Boys’ Volleyball
The Breakers took on San Clemente in nonleague action Wednesday and fell, 11-25, 25-23, 13-25, 24-26, to the visiting Tritons. Weston Barnes and Austin Hilleman had 15 and 13 kills, respectively, Barnes had 11 digs and Grifan Fair had 24 set assists for the Breakers.
San Clemente is the seventh-ranked team in CIF Division 1.
Laguna (7-3), ranked third in Division 2, starts play Friday at the Orange County Championships. The Breakers are in the Division 1 tournament hosted by Edison and Fountain Valley. Newport Harbor is hosting the Division 2 bracket. The tournament continues Saturday and concludes Monday with both division finals being played at Edison.
Following the OC Championships, the Breakers play three matches over a three-day period, starting with a Tuesday Orange Coast League opener at 5:30 p.m. at home against Estancia. At 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, they’ll face a key match at top-ranked Corona del Mar. They’ll resume league play at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Calvary Chapel.
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Boys’ Golf
The Breakers lost two nonleague matches earlier in the week, first falling, 184-201, to Calvary Chapel on Monday before suffering a 193-244 setback Tuesday to Tesoro.
The Breakers (1-5) travel to Costa Mesa on Tuesday to take on Estancia at Mesa Verde Golf Course. On Wednesday, they’ll face Aliso Niguel at Aliso Viejo Country Club. Both matches start at 2:30 p.m.
Twitter: @MikeSciacca