HIGH SCHOOL SWIMMING PREVIEW : Harvard Aims for High-Water Mark in 2-A Division

Let’s play word association.

It’s easy. Just blurt out the sport you immediately associate with the high school mentioned.

How about Canyon?

Football. Good. Harry Welch would be proud.

Cleveland?

Basketball. Nice. Somewhere, Trevor Wilson is smiling.

How about Chatsworth?

Baseball . There you go. A healthy response.

A little tougher now. How about Harvard?

Water polo? Good guess, but the Saracens--especially Coach Rich Corso--would like to see the response broaden a bit to include the swimming program that Corso quietly has built into a Southern Section 2-A Division power.

“We’re definitely the underdog,” the fourth-year coach said. “But we’ve got a shot at winning the 2-A title.”

Big words for a school whose best finish in Southern Section history was a second-place performance in 1954 (“I did my homework,” Corso confessed.)

Harvard boasts great depth this season--an important factor in the Southern Section championships, in which the top 12 finishers in an event score.

“Other teams have the fastest swimmers (in the area),” Agoura Coach Mike Mulligan said. “But (Harvard) has great depth. A lot of strong, fast swimmers. A lot of good bodies.”

Harvard also has experience.

Corso points to senior Mike Chang, the defending Southern Section champion in the 100-yard butterfly (51.60) as a prime example of Harvard’s success in developing swimmers.

When Chang arrived at Harvard four years ago, he had little club experience and clocked the 100 butterfly in 59 seconds. In three years, the Harvard program has turned him into a champion.

“He’s a Division I-type swimmer,” Corso said. “He’s going to have to get faster, but he can go somewhere.”

Another beneficiary of Corso’s program is senior Jon Paul, a breaststroke specialist and individual medley swimmer. He swam the 200-yard individual medley in 2 minutes 50 seconds four years ago but has shaved 40 seconds off that time.

Senior Shane Loomis swims the butterfly and freestyle and qualified for the Southern Section meet in both events. Senior diver Jon Cotter placed 10th last year in the Southern Section meet, and Brian Kim is a senior who has scoring potential in the breaststroke, according to Corso. Senior sprinter Ryan Crosbie might have a breakthrough year, Corso said.

Last year’s medley-relay team placed second in the Southern Section to area rival Agoura. With the core of that team intact, Corso foresees an All-American time.

“We’re out to prove that we’re not just a water polo school,” Corso said. “We want to attract better kids (for swimming). The word is out in the area. People have seen what we’ve been able to do with kids with non-club experience.”

Apparently the word is out. This spring, Corso welcomes blue-chip freshman Matt DeFranzo, who could be the final piece in a championship puzzle. DeFranzo, from Calabasas, is a proven competitor in the breaststroke, freestyle sprints and the individual medley.

Other area programs to watch:

* Agoura (Frontier League)--Coach Mike Mulligan welcomes back the Valley’s most accomplished swimmer in junior backstroker Jason Stelle, who won the 100-yard backstroke in 2-A-record time last year (51.93). Mulligan said Stelle is swimming a second faster now.

Stelle, who just returned from international junior meets in East Berlin and Paris, also placed seventh in the 200-yard individual medley last year in 1:56.58.

Stelle, Kevin Driscoll and J. P. Lie return from last year’s medley-relay championship team. Agoura, which won the Frontier League title, placed fourth overall in the team standings, three points from a championship.

Driscoll, a junior, will swim the 100-yard backstroke and 100-yard butterfly. Lie is a senior backstroker and freestyler who just missed qualifying last year.

* Calabasas (Frontier League)--Mike Litter, an honorable mention All-American, will lead the Coyote charge against Agoura for the league title. The senior swimmer is the Southern Section champion in the 100-yard breaststroke and placed fifth in the 100-yard butterfly.

While Litter’s seasoned presence means instant points for Coach Dave Hershman, a youngster also figures to make a splash. Freshman diver Matt Dahl could place in the finals, according to Hershman.

Junior Skip Seeder’s strongest events are the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard backstroke.

* Hart (Foothill League)--In seven seasons, Coach Steve Neale’s teams have never lost a boys’ or girls’ league title, and the girls’ team this year, behind junior Evy Wild, probably will add another year to the streak.

Wild placed second place in the 100-yard freestyle in the Southern Section 3-A last year in 53.7 seconds. She already has posted a time of 52.9. Wild, a sprinter who has qualified for Junior Nationals, has swum the 50 freestyle in 24.9.

Freshman Robin Burton, who placed seventh in the biannual national Junior Olympics last summer, is a proven all-around distance and individual-medley swimmer. Freshman breaststroker Heather Saxton is another valuable weapon.

The boys’ team will be hurt by the loss of three members of last year’s All-American relay team. Senior Mike Blair returns “a lot stronger,” according to Neale, to swim freestyle and butterfly. Distance man David Baker, a senior, is a Junior Olympic swimmer whose specialties are the 200-yard freestyle (1:53) and the 500-yard freestyle (5:05). Freshman Eric Wessig has swum the 100-yard butterfly in 56.0 and the 100-yard freestyle in 50.9.

* Westlake (Marmonte League)--Second-year Coach Ingrid Daland said that she will be cracking down on this year’s team in hopes of improvment.

For the Warrior girls, freshman Kerry McCloskey is a Junior National swimmer who likely will swim individual medley and sprint freestyle. McCloskey is joined by potential scorers Robin Cracker (sprint freestyle) and Becky Mandich (distance swimmer).

For the boys, Southern Section qualifier Damon Nygren, a junior, should qualify again in the 100-yard butterfly.

* Birmingham (City Section)--Coach Nick Rodionoff will count on senior Christian Ballard in the 200-yard and 500-yard freestyle events. Ballard’s track record is strong. “Whatever he swims he’ll win,” assistant coach Barbara Haskin said.

On the girls’ team, Ballard’s younger sister, Heather, a freestyler and backstroker, is primed to make a name for herself.

She is joined by promising teammates Teresa Frias (backstroke), Irina Karjono (butterfly) and Cathy Lee (freestyle, individual medley), who all qualified for last year’s City championship meet.

Joining Ballard on the boys’ team are youngsters with City championship meet experience: juniors Steve Hoviss (sprints) and Cris Sax (breaststroke) and sophomore Brad McLaughlin (individual medley).