Mission Viejo Boys, Girls Have a Big Day at Pool

It was a given that the Mission Viejo boys would dominate the double dual meet against Marina and El Toro Friday at El Toro High.

And when the Diablo girls also swept these two teams, it was understandable why Mission Viejo Coach Mike Pelton cracked a big smile afterward.

“The girls did better than I expected,” Pelton said. “El Toro is ranked second in the county, Marina ninth and we’re fourth. So we obviously had a good meet.”

The Mission Viejo girls edged El Toro, 89-81, and had little trouble with Marina, 122-48. El Toro beat Marina 116-54.

Although the the Chargers were without top freestyler Katie Lowes, recuperating from a shoulder injury, the Diablos got key performances from senior Jovanka Dimovska, who won the 50-yard freestyle (25.98 seconds) and the 100 butterfly (1:00.77), and sophomore Christina Murphy, who posted a time of 1:59.96 in the 200 freestyle to finish second. Marina’s Kristi Rietzel won in 1:59.61

Freshman Dominique Rash also won an important race for Mission Viejo, beating El Toro’s Summer Case by about a second and posting the third-fastest time in the county this season (1:01.92).

El Toro’s Katie Simmons won the 100 free (56.94) and the 200 individual medley (2:12.68, a Southern Section Division I qualifying time). Freshman teammates Lara Reaves and Ashley Pyka won the 500 free (5:17.12) and the 100 breaststroke (1:12.82), respectively.

Despite missing top swimmer Bart Kizierowski, who was suffering from the flu, the Diablo boys still had little trouble with El Toro and Marina. The Diablos beat the Chargers, 135-35, and Marina, 111-59. Marina beat El Toro, 118-52.

The Diablos had three double winners.

Senior Fausto Trivino won the 200 individual medley (1:46.08) and posted the county’s fastest time this season in the 500 freestyle (4:44.84).

Matt Burny also had a county best in the 50 free (21.48) and won the 100 freestyle in 49.03.

Karl Hyross won the 200 individual medley (1:57.76) and the 100 butterfly (54.32).

Piotr Florczyk won the 100 breaststroke in 1:03.43.

Pelton said this meet was only a warm-up for a big event today. Mission Viejo will be competing today against Englewood (Colo.) Cherry Creek in the California Challenge at El Toro High.

“All of our big guns will be competing against Cherry Creek,” Pelton said. “They’re [Cherry Creek] ranked first in the nation, so it will be a real challenge for us.”

Also competing in that meet will be Foothill, ranked fourth in the county.