Thousand Oaks Girls Swim to 200 Medley Relay Title

Swim teams from around the Southland barely had finished their traditional pre-meet yells Friday night at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach before the Thousand Oaks High girls’ 200-yard medley relay team made some noise of its own.

Riding the anchor leg of freestyler Mandy Nickoloff, the Lancer girls became Southern Section champions, winning the opening race of the 4-A Division swim championships.

Nickoloff teamed with Sarah Moskowitz (backstroke), Lauren Droshe (breaststroke) and Elizabeth Zehr (butterfly) to give the area its only 4-A championship. The team raced to an All-American time of 1:49.70.

The win did not come easily for Thousand Oaks in a meet that was dominated by Orange County teams. Nickoloff had to overtake Foothill’s Libby Kellerman in the final leg to give the Lancers the title. Nickoloff admitted that she sneaked a peak at Kellerman in the last 25 yards of her 24.02 leg.

“It was scary,” Nickoloff said of the deficit on the last leg. “It was, more or less, I have to win.”

The Thousand Oaks girls turned in the best performance among area teams, placing fifth with 97 points in the overall standings. Nickoloff took fourth in the 50 free (24.38), Droshe won the consolation heat of the 50 free (24.89) and took fourth in the 100 backstroke (1:00.22).

Zehr won a consolation heat in the 100 butterfly (59.38), and Moskowitz placed third in the 100 backstroke (59.92). Freshman Valery Calkins won a consolation heat of the 500 free in 5:03.90.

Camarillo junior Lydia Barbie finished third in the 200 individual medley (2:07.21) and fifth in the 100 butterfly (58.50) to score 21 of her team’s 54 points.

In the boys’ meet, Buena’s 200 medley relay team took fourth (1:39.30) and Royal’s Mike Mendoza won the consolation championship in the 50 free in 21.71.

Earlier in the day in the 2-A preliminaries, Agoura junior Jason Stelle broke his own Southern Section record in the 100 backstroke, swimming a personal-best 51.26. He set the previous record of 51.93 at last year’s 2-A finals.

Stelle posted the second-best time in the 200 individual medley at 1:56.08, and Agoura Coach Mike Mulligan gives Stelle a good chance at winning two titles in today’s finals.

“He had such a big lead after the backstroke leg, he didn’t have anybody to push him,” Mulligan said. “Still, he’s seeded second.”

The Agoura boys, who placed fourth last year, might notch another top-five finish today.

The Chargers are led by J. P. Lie, who qualified for the championship final in the 100 backstroke and the consolation final in the 200 free. The school’s 400 freestyle relay team is seeded second.

Two Harvard relay teams qualified for the finals--the 200 medley team is seeded second and the 400 freestyle is sixth. Defending Southern Section champion Mike Chang qualified for championship final in the 100 butterfly, placing fourth in 51.99.

Of the 12 Saracens qualifying for prelims, however, only Chang and freestyler Sean Raymond will swim in today’s finals. Raymond placed 12th in the 50 free.

“We started the day well and we finished the day well,” Harvard Coach Rich Corso said, noting the bookend relay performances. “We just have to be better in between. We’re struggling. But we’re still in there, fighting for a top five finish.”

Palmdale freestyler David Hobbs qualified for the finals in the 50 and 100, and fellow freestyler Mike Timpero qualified in the 500.

Agoura’s Jenny Bissel qualified among the top six in the 200 individual medley and the 100 butterfly.

Chaminade’s Michele Feigenbaum (200 free, 500 free) and Michele Horsest (200 IM, 100 breaststroke) qualified along with the 400 free relay team.