SOUTHERN SECTION 3-A, 2-A SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS : Brea-Olinda Girls Seek Their Second Consecutive Title

The Brea-Olinda girls’ swim team will attempt to win its second consecutive Southern Section 3-A championship at 7 tonight at Belmont Plaza Pool in Long Beach.

Brea qualified four swimmers for the championship finals and three for the consolation finals.

Sophomore Sachi White was the only Brea swimmer to qualify first in an event; she won the 100-yard butterfly in Thursday’s preliminaries. White, who also qualified for the consolation final in the 200 freestyle, finished second in the butterfly last season.

The Wildcats are seeded first in the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays. But they failed to place a team in either the final or consolation final for the 200 freestyle relay.

Mater Dei, which likely will challenge Brea, qualified three relay teams. The Monarchs are seeded fourth in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays and qualified for the consolation final in the 200 medley relay.

The Monarchs’ top individual performer is Jennifer Antimarino, who is seeded second in the 500 freestyle and fifth in the 200 freestyle.

In the 2-A boys’ final, 1990 champion Laguna Hills is looking to regain the title after finishing second to Walnut last season.

The Hawks are led this year by Chad Carvin, Ian Gilbert and Shoichi Matsumoto.

Carvin is the two-time defending champion in the 200 freestyle and the defending champion in the 500 freestyle. Gilbert was third in the 200 IM and fourth in the 500 freestyle last season, and Matsumoto finished second in the 200 IM and 100 backstroke. In the girls’ competition, Natasha Khone of Rancho Alamitos will attempt to become only the fifth girls’ swimmer to win an event four consecutive years. She has won the 200 IM the past three years.

Only Janet Evans of El Dorado (500 freestyle), Christy Carolin of Capistrano Valley (50 freestyle), Shannon Orcutt of Capistrano Valley (100 breaststroke) and Jill Sterkel of Hacienda Heights Wilson (100 freestyle) and have won an event four consecutive years.