Every Second Counts in Villa Park Girls’ Victory

It wasn’t supposed to be this close Friday at Villa Park.

Ninth-ranked Santa Margarita won the 400 freestyle relay, the last event, but sixth-ranked Villa Park was second and third to win the nonleague girls’ swimming meet, 85.5-84.5.

“I really didn’t think it would be this close,” Villa Park Coach Jeff Ehrlich said. “But I’m really proud of my girls. Especially the ones who got those crucial third-place finishes. Those wins were the key to our victory.”

Santa Margarita’s 200 medley relay team of Christine Connellan, Kristin Buhagiar, Pricilla Tomescu and Dominique Rash won in a Southern Section qualifying time of 1 minute 59.17 seconds. Villa Park finished in a qualifying time of 1:59.22.

The lead flip-flopped throughout the meet, with second- and third-place finishes becoming just as important as winning.

“We just didn’t get the help from our swimmers who should have won those third places,” Santa Margarita Coach Rick Rowland said. “Our top swimmers were on and won most of their events. But they [Villa Park] seem to have more depth, and we weren’t able to hold on.”

Villa Park’s Jessica Klugman won the 50 free in 25.86 and was the leadoff swimmer in the winning 200 free relay (1:45.08), a Southern Section qualifying time. Katie Janssen won the 100 backstroke in a section qualifying time of 1:04.40. Sophomore Maureen Dunn also was impressive for the Spartans, finishing .04 behind Rash (56.00) in the 100 free and anchoring the winning 200 free relay.

Santa Margarita’s Siobhan Herlihy and Rash were double winners and Buhagiar won the 100 breaststroke in 1:11.30.

The fifth-ranked Santa Margarita boys won, 91-78. The highlight was the leadoff leg of the 200 free relay, which featured Philippe Demers of Santa Margarita and Villa Park’s Kyle Baumgarner.

The two were supposed to meet in the 50 and 100 freestyles. But last minute shuffling by Villa Park coaches moved Baumgarner, one of the county’s top sprint freestylers, to different events.

“I think they [Villa Park] shied away from Baumgarner racing Philippe,” Rowland said. “But we have the 200 free relay.”

Since both would be swimming leadoff in that relay--and the leadoff time is an official time--it would at least settle who was the fastest in the 50 free on this day.

With a near-perfect start, Demers came up almost a half-body length ahead of Baumgarner. He held the lead to touch first in 20.91, the county’s fastest time this season. Baumgarner touched in 21.82.

“I wanted to race him in the 50 and the 100,” Demers said. “But it’s cool I got him in the relay. Last year when we raced, we tied.”