PREP SWIMMING ROUNDUP : Mission Viejo Stumbles Over Starting Blocks

All the Mission Viejo High School girls’ 400-yard freestyle relay team had to do Friday was show up for the Diablos to win the championship at the South Coast League swimming finals.

Instead, the team didn’t get to the starting blocks in time for the final event and was disqualified. That wiped out a 23-point lead and left El Toro as excited, if somewhat stunned, league champions.

“I told the girls the only way for us to win was for Mission Viejo to (disqualify) the relay and it happened,” El Toro Coach Sheri Ross said. “I really don’t like to win this way. I’d rather win it outright, but I’m not going to turn it down.”

Mission Viejo Coach Jan Most said her relay team members were under the impression that a consolation final was to be held before the final race. They were sitting 10 yards away from the starting area when the race began.

Mission Viejo swimmer Carrie Pardoe jumped into the water as the lead leg, but Pardoe was not listed on the entry card and had already been in three events, leading to the disqualification.

“To lose it that way is heartbreaking,” Most said. “They’re all experienced swimmers and were waiting for the race. I don’t know what to say.”

El Toro won the event in 3 minutes 43.03 seconds to sweep both relays and win the title, 439-421.

Barbara Franco helped Mission Viejo build its lead by winning the 200 freestyle (1:54.93) and 100 butterfly (58.34). Claudia Franco won the 50 free (24.57) and Leslie Rhee won the 100 backstroke (1:02.12).

Michelle Perry led El Toro with victories in the 200 individual medley (2:09.86) and the 100 free (52.28), and teammate Cindy Focht won the 500 free in 5:02.34, nipping Katarina Triska of Mission Viejo by .06 seconds.

Irvine’s Stacy Smith won the 100 breaststroke (1:09.39).

Capistrano Valley easily won the boys’ title for the third consecutive year, beating Mission Viejo, 429-367. Mission Viejo won the team’s dual meet when Capistrano Valley had to forfeit. Tsukasa Kawabuchi and Eric Diehl were double winners for Mission Viejo. Kawabuchi won the 200 free (1:43.59) and 100 butterfly (51.88). Diehl was victorious in back-to-back races, the 100 free (46.85) and 500 free (4:40.36).

Individual winners for Capistrano Valley were Kevin Eggert in the 100 breaststroke (1:01.24) and Ryan Cox in the 200 IM (1:57.98). The Cougars also won the 400 freestyle relay in 3:16.19.

In the Century League final, Villa Park easily won the boys’ title and Foothill took the girls’ championship.

Villa Park had four swimmers win two events each: Gavin Arroyo won the 200 IM (2:00.26) and the 500 free (4:47.69); John Cleary won the 200 free (1:46.32) and 100 butterfly (53.20); Kenny Yee won the 50 free (22.07) and 100 breaststroke (1:03.72), and Gary Larson won the 100 free (47.88) and set a league record in the 100 backstroke (52.66). The record of 54.33 was set by Robert MacLachlan of Foothill in 1983.

The Foothill girls’ team set a league record in the 400 free relay with a time of 3:37.97. Foothill held the record of 3:45.12 set in 1984. Sionainn Marcoux, Megan Logan, Laura Ellison and Heather Marks, members of the Knights’ relay team, each won two individual events.

Marcoux, the Century League’s swimmer of the year, set two league records. In the 200 free her time of 1:53.60 broke the mark of 1:54.73 set by Didre Mazurie of Foothill in 1983. In the 500 free (4:58.33) she broke her record (5:02.49) set in 1988.

Logan won the 200 IM (2:10.95) and the 100 butterfly (1:00.31), Laura Ellison won the 50 free (25.27) and 100 backstroke (1:01.06), and Marks won the 100 free (54.67) and 100 breaststroke (1:09.96).