Palisades’ Puri Stars; Granada Hills Wins

It was her first and only appearance at the City Section swimming finals, but Sangeeta Puri of Palisades High made it memorable.

The senior who swam for India in the 1996 Olympics broke 16-year-old section records in the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard backstroke at the finals Wednesday at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach.

Puri attended Palisades for the first half of her sophomore year, but never got the chance to compete with the Dolphin swim team until this season. And now she’s helping Palisades, who had dominated the finals for two decades before 1995, regain its form.

The Dolphins finished second to Granada Hills, which won its third consecutive title with 244 points. Palisades finished with 181.5.

“I love the team concept,” Puri said. “We made T-shirts, banners, everyone is behind everybody to do well.”

Puri, who will swim at Princeton, timed 58.69 in the 100 butterfly, breaking the mark of 58.78 set by Kim Schlegal of Palisades in 1981.

In the 100 backstroke, Puri finished in 58.48, bettering Schlegal’s time by over a second.

“I guess I like the hundred yards,” said Puri, who swam the 50-meter freestyle in Atlanta last year. “It’s a good distance for me.”

Venice didn’t have any individual standouts, but the Gondoliers had little trouble defending its boys’ title, finishing with 174 points, 43 ahead of Woodland Hills El Camino Real.

Venice won the 200 medley relay in 1:47.40 and Adam Uehara won the 200 freestyle in 1:49.97 and was second in the 100 backstroke (57.11) but piled up points with solid finishes on relays and consolation finalists.

For the second consecutive year, the Granada Hills girls’ 200 medley relay team of Stephanie Shapiro, Natalie Shapiro, Katherine Nielson and Sarah Clark broke the City Section record, finishing in 1:54.51.

Natalie Shapiro also won the 200 freestyle in 1:59.84 and Stephanie Shapiro added titles in the 200 individual medley (2:11.86) and 500 freestyle (5:10.81). The sisters combined with Clark and Nielson to win the 400 freestyle relay in 3:44.24.