Highlanders Try to Make City Finals Sister Act II

Granada Hills High doesn’t have many swimmers back from its girls’ team that last year won the school’s first City Section swim title.

Then again, the Highlanders still have the two swimmers they need most--sisters Stephanie and Natalie Shapiro.

Granada Hills, which will defend its title today at 3 p.m. at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach, had only six swimmers in the championship meet last year. But the Highlanders won five individual events, three by the Shapiro sisters.

Stephanie, a sophomore, is the favorite in the 200-yard individual medley. Her qualifying time of 2 minutes 15.35 seconds is more than three seconds better than her closest competitor.

Natalie, a junior, has a City-best time of 2:00.05 in the 200 freestyle.

Stephanie is defending champion in the 500 freestyle, having upset two-time champion Gretchen Ballard of Birmingham last year.

Ballard was training for an upcoming U.S. junior national meet last year and had not tapered or rested for the City meet.

“She’ll be ready this time,” Birmingham Coach Nick Rodionoff said. “She’s in good shape.”

Before her loss in the 500 final last year, Ballard had won five consecutive City individual titles in three years.

Ballard, a senior, will be facing both Shapiros in races today. Her qualifying time of 1:01.81 in the 100 butterfly was better than Natalie’s by .35 seconds.

Sabra Martini of El Camino Real is expected to be the meet’s top sprinter. She posted top qualifying times of 26.29 seconds in the 50 freestyle and 57.43 in the 100 freestyle.

Birmingham will be hard-pressed to repeat as boys’ champion after its 400 freestyle relay team was disqualified in preliminaries last week. The Braves still have the top-seeded 200 medley relay team.

The boys’ top sprinter is expected to be Mitchell Hester, a junior from Cleveland who had qualifying times of 21.88 in the 50 freestyle and 48.88 in the 100 freestyle.

Seiji Tsuji of Granada Hills is top seeded in the 200 individual medley (2:11.80), and Blake Nord of Taft has the fastest qualifying time in the 200 freestyle (1:54.07).