Southern Section Swimming Championships : Los Alamitos Girls Prepared to Challenge for 3-A Title

Debbie Fleming has waited for a team like this for six years, since she became the girls’ swimming coach at Los Alamitos High School.

“This is the best team Los Alamitos has had since I’ve been here,” Fleming said. “I’ve talked to other people at the school, and they can’t remember a better team.”

She believes the team may be strong enough to get the Griffins past defending champion Hacienda Heights Wilson for the Southern Section 3-A championship.

The 3-A preliminaries will be today at noon at Belmont Plaza pool in Long Beach, and the finals Saturday will be at 7 p.m.

Wilson dominated the field last season, finishing 50 points ahead of second-place Los Alamitos (161-111). But Fleming believes the Griffins have closed the gap.

“Last season we had just three individual swimmers in five events qualify. This year we have nine swimmers in 12 events,” said Fleming, whose team breezed through the Empire League meet last week. “If everything goes according to plan, I think we’re ready to make the step up.”

Freshman Stacy St. Martin and sophomore Nicole Williamson are Los Alamitos’ top entries. St. Martin will swim the 200- and 500-yard freestyles and the 200 individual medley. Williamson, who qualified for the Southern Section meet in 1987, will swim the 200 and 500 freestyles and will anchor the 400 freestyle relay team.

Of the nine Los Alamitos swimmers who qualified, eight are sophomores or freshmen. Karen Rothery, who competed in the final last season, is the only senior. She will swim the 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke.

Still, Fleming is not underestimating Wilson, which has qualified seven individual swimmers and two relay teams.

Grace Moon, who finished second in the 100 breaststroke last season; Tasha Badillo, who was second in the 200 freestyle, and Jennifer Kunishima, who was second in the 100 backstroke, all return this year.

“Los Alamitos has definitely closed the gap,” Wilson Coach Scott Massey said. “With the new girls they have, it should be a tight meet.”

But others don’t see the status quo changing. At least not this season.

“Wilson has a lot of girls back from a real solid team, I don’t think anyone will catch them,” said El Dorado Coach Tom Milich, whose team finished second to Los Alamitos in the Empire League meet.

El Dorado has the best swimmer in the meet in Janet Evans, who holds world records in the 400-, 800- and 1,500-meter freestyles.

Evans, a junior, will swim the 200 individual medley and 500 freestyle.

In the 4-A, defending champion Capistrano Valley, which ended Mission Viejo’s 11-year reign last season, is expected to defend its title.

The 4-A preliminaries will be today at noon and the finals Friday at 7 p.m.

Capistrano Valley has nine individual swimmers in the meet, including Christi Carolyn, the defending champion in the 50 freestyle. Carolyn also will swim the 100 freestyle.

Mission Viejo is led by Kristin Winn, who finished third in the 100, 200 and 500 freestyles last year. Marina features Kari Lupon, a finalist in the 50 and 100 freestyles. Fountain Valley has Debbie Babashoff, one of the top swimmers in the 200 and 500 freestyles.

In the 2-A, Brea-Olinda is favored to repeat as champion. It has five swimmers returning from last year’s team, including Denise Weber, who has won the 200 freestyle two straight years.

The 2-A preliminaries will be Friday at noon, with the finals Saturday at noon.