THE TIMES’ ALL-COUNTY TEAMS : Arroyo Is Staying in the Pool but He’d Rather Play Polo : Boys’ swimming: Villa Park senior set a record in 100-yard freestyle, but will concentrate on water polo at California.

In the past, Gavin Arroyo has considered swimming his top priority.

And why not? After all, he was very good at it.

Arroyo has been swimming competitively since age 6. He started competing with the Southern California Aquatics club and continued through his career at Villa Park High School.

But in the last year, swimming has become Arroyo’s second sport. Water polo, it seems, is paramount in his life.

“Water polo used to be a hobby for me, something to do to keep in shape for swimming,” Arroyo said. “But now, water polo is my No. 1 sport and swimming is my hobby.”

Arroyo has signed a letter of intent to play water polo at California next season, which is part of the reason for his increased interest. He also has been selected to the U.S. junior national team, which will play in Hungary this summer in preparation for the 1991 world championships.

Even though Arroyo has changed his emphasis to water polo, he still is a top-notch swimmer.

Arroyo, The Times’ swimmer of the year, set a Southern Section record in the 100-yard freestyle at the 4-A championships this season. His time of 45.30 seconds beat the record of 45.31 set in 1987 by Darren Ward of Sonora.

“I thought I had a shot at the record,” said Arroyo, who also finished second in the 200 freestyle. “It was one of my goals this season.”

Arroyo hadn’t competed in the 100 freestyle before this season. His specialty had always been the longer events--200 and 500 freestyles. He was the 1989 4-A champion in the 200 freestyle.

The idea of swimming the 100 freestyle came up last year, when a rival coach suggested to Villa Park Coach Jeff Ehrlich that Arroyo could become a top sprinter.

“(Fountain Valley Coach) Ray Bray saw Gavin swim in the 400 freestyle relay at the Foothill Swim Games,” Ehrlich said. “He said that Gavin could break the record with a little training.”

Ehrlich and Arroyo credit water polo with being an important part of Arroyo’s development as a sprinter. The sport involves a lot of sprinting, from one end of the pool to the other.

“There’s a lot of changing of directions in water polo, so you’re working different muscles,” Ehrlich said.

“You also use a faster stroke, which you need as a sprinter.”

With the work he had received in water polo, Arroyo developed quickly as a sprinter. He won the 50 freestyle at the Foothill Swim Games this season in 46.30.

However, during the week of the 4-A finals, Arroyo began to wonder if he could even win the race.

He swam poorly at the prelims a day before the finals and was third-seeded behind Greg Milton of El Dorado and Tsukasas Kawabuchi of Mission Viejo, the defending 100 freestyle champion.

“I just wasn’t mentally prepared,” Arroyo said. “I knew I had better get my mind focused on the race, because the finals were going to be even more intense. I spent the whole next day visualizing the race, how it would develop and who I had to beat.”

Arroyo took control of the race after 25 yards and held off Kawabuchi and Milton, who finished second and third.

“The competition was so tough that Gavin couldn’t make even a little mistake,” Ehrlich said. “When the race was over, you could tell by Gavin’s face that he was shocked at how well he did. He swam a perfect race.”

Although Arroyo’s career as a swimmer isn’t over--he plans to swim at Cal next year--he said he plans to concentrate more on water polo.

“Water polo is more exciting to me,” Arroyo said. “It’s a team sport, where swimming is an individual thing. But I found that sprinting is also exciting.”

ALL-COUNTY BOYS’ SWIMMING TEAM

Event Player, School Year 200 Freestyle Eric Diehl, Junior Was only a second off the Southern Mission Viejo Section record in the 200 freestyle 200 Indiv. Medley Kevin Eggert, Senior Helped the Cougars win their first Capistrano Valley Southern Section 4-A boys’ championship 50 Freestyle Tsukasa Kawabuchi, Senior Won the 50 freestyle at the 4-A meet M. Viejo for the second consecutive year 100 Butterfly Charles Kenyon, Senior Went from fifth in 1989 4-A meet to Marina first in 1990 100 Freestyle Gavin Arroyo, Senior Broke Darren Ward’s Southern Section Villa Park record in the 100 freestyle 500 Freestyle Eric Diehl, Junior Will swim the 800-meter freestyle at Mission Viejo the Goodwill Games this summer 100 Backstroke Tom Wescott, Junior Won the 100 backstroke at the 4-A Huntington Beach meet for the second consecutive year 100 Breaststroke Kevin Hendricks, Junior Is the first Santa Margarita swimmer S. Margarita to win a Southern Section title Diving Zack Williams, Freshman Was the first Irvine swimmer or diver Irvine to win a Southern Section championship 200 Medley Relay Villa Park Gary Larson, Gavin Arroyo, John Cleary and Kenny Yee 400 Free Relay Marina Charles Kenyon, Matt Maxwell, Craig Phillips and Jason Cox

Event Time 200 Freestyle 1:38.26 Was only a second off the Southern Section record in the 200 freestyle 200 Indiv. Medley 1:52.85 Helped the Cougars win their first Southern Section 4-A boys’ championship 50 Freestyle 20.99 Won the 50 freestyle at the 4-A meet for the second consecutive year 100 Butterfly 49.70 Went from fifth in 1989 4-A meet to first in 1990 100 Freestyle 45.30 Broke Darren Ward’s Southern Section record in the 100 freestyle 500 Freestyle 4:27.91 Will swim the 800-meter freestyle at the Goodwill Games this summer 100 Backstroke 51.49 Won the 100 backstroke at the 4-A meet for the second consecutive year 100 Breaststroke 57.86 Is the first Santa Margarita swimmer to win a Southern Section title Diving 516.25 Was the first Irvine swimmer or diver to win a Southern Section championship 200 Medley Relay 1:35.86 Gary Larson, Gavin Arroyo, John Cleary and Kenny Yee 400 Free Relay 3:10.48 Charles Kenyon, Matt Maxwell, Craig Phillips and Jason Cox

Swimmer of the year: Gavin Arroyo, Villa Park