Southern Section Swimming Championships : Relay Win Gives Foothill Title Over Mission Viejo

After more than a decade of dominance, Mission Viejo wasn’t about to go down without a fight in the Southern Section 4-A boys’ swim championships.

But down they went.

The team championship was decided by the 400-yard freestyle relay, the final event of the evening at Belmont Plaza Pool in Long Beach. And Foothill won the race in convincing fashion.

Foothill was timed in 3 minutes 6.88 seconds with Mission Viejo second in 3:10.32. The victory gave Foothill 147 points to end Mission Viejo’s 14-year reign as 4-A champion.

Mission Viejo was second with 115.

Capistrano Valley won its third consecutive girls’ title with 166 points. Mission Viejo was second with 156.

The last team to win a 4-A boys’ title besides Mission Viejo was Foothill, in 1974.

Friday, the teams were even through the first two legs of the deciding race, but Andy Musch gave Foothill a 25-yard advantage with 100 yards to go. Brian Cowdell maintained that lead on Mission Viejo’s Tsukasa Kawabuchi down the stretch.

Kawabuchi earlier swam the 100 freestyle in 46.56 seconds to edge Cowdell and also won the 50 freestyle in 21.19.

Ron Scott was Foothill’s only individual champion, winning the 100 butterfly in 50.30.

In the girls’ competition, Amy Shaw was the driving force behind Capistrano Valley’s victory.

She won the 200 freestyle in 1:47.91 and the 500 freestyle in 4:46.45.

The Cougars also received a strong performance from sprinter Christy Carolin, who won the 50 freestyle in 23.94. She finished second in the 100 freestyle in 52.26.

Mission Viejo, which won 11 consecutive girls’ titles in 1976-86, finished second for the third straight year.

Mission Viejo set the only Southern Section record during the meet as its girls’ 400 freestyle relay team swam 3:28.56.