SOUTHERN SECTION 4-A SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS : Mission Viejo Girls Wait Until End to Win Title

After a three-year absence, the Mission Viejo High School girls’ swim team returned to the top--but just barely.

The Diablos, who had not won the Southern Section 4-A championship since 1986, came from behind on the last lap of the last race to win the title for the 12th time.

The meet came down to the final event, the 400-yard freestyle relay. The Diablos needed to win the race to win the meet, and after trailing most of the race, Claudia Franco came from behind to give Mission Viejo the victory.

Mission Viejo finished with 159 points. Foothill was second with 150 and El Toro third with 140.

In the boys’ competition, Capistrano Valley won its first 4-A title. The Cougars, who have finished second three times, won the meet with 141 points. Mission Viejo was second with 114 and Villa Park third with 107.

For Jan Most, Mission Viejo girls’ coach, the victory was special because it erased the memory of the Diablos’ second-place finish in the South Coast League finals. Mission Viejo appeared to have that meet won, but its 400 freestyle relay team was disqualified, giving El Toro the title.

“The girls were just crushed after that,” Most said. “I was afraid they wouldn’t be able to focus on the Southern Section meet. But they managed to put their disappointment behind them.”

The same relay team that cost the Diablos the league title, won the 4-A championship. Mission Viejo had the top qualifying time in the 400 freestyle relay in the prelims, but it was El Toro that held the lead through the first 300 yards of the race.

Franco, a freshman, pulled even with El Toro’s Cindy Focht with 50 yards to go. She pulled ahead with 25 yards left and held on.

Shona Baille, also a freshman, was the only Diablo to win an individual event. She finished first in the 100 butterfly with a time of 57.73 seconds. Teammate Barbara Franco was second.

Sionainn Marcoux led Foothill with victories in the 500 free (4:49.86) and 200 free (1:49.68).

In the boys’ competition, Capistrano Valley had the meet wrapped up by the final event. Mission Viejo was close throughout the evening, but failed to qualify a team in the 400 freestyle relay.

Mission Viejo’s relay team was disqualified in the prelims on Thursday when one of its swimmers jumped too soon.

Capistrano Valley received strong individual performance, especially from Kevin Eggert, who won the 200 individual medley and finished third in the 100 breaststroke.

Gavin Arroyo helped Villa Park to the third-place finish.

Arroyo set a Southern Section 4-A record in the 100 free. Arroyo had a time of 45.30 to break the record of 45.54 set by Fountain Valley’s Mike Kelly in 1977.

Arroyo, who also finished second in the 200 free, got off to a fast start in the 100. He led from start to finish, but had to hold off Mission Viejo’s Tsukasa Kawabuchi.

In the girls’ competition, Christy Carolin of Capistrano Valley became only the fourth Southern Section swimmer to win an event four consecutive years.

Carolin won the 50 free for the fourth time with a time of 23.69. Only Janet Evans (El Dorado), Jill Sterkle (Hacienda Heights Wilson) and Shannon Orcutt (Capistrano Valley) have won an event four consecutive years.

Carolin later won the 100 free (51.58) for the second consecutive year.