Laguna Hills Girls Win 3rd Title

Laguna Hills, which got off to a great start, used that momentum to win the Southern Section Division II girls’ swimming title Saturday at Belmont Plaza Pool in Long Beach.

The Hawks, who picked up their third consecutive girls’ swimming title, won the meet with 261 points.

Palos Verdes Peninsula was second with 233 points and Chino Hills Ayala was third with 195.5 points. University, with its best showing in school history, was fourth with 193 points.

Shauna Barnard, Carla Rodriguez, Lindsey Buck and Morgan Class won the medley relay in 1 minute 50.64 seconds.

Barnard, who was named the girls’ swimmer of the meet, ended the evening with two individual titles. She also was on two winning relays. In the 200 IM, she dominated the field to win in an all-American time standard of 2:03.89. University’s Sara Showalter finished eight seconds behind her in second place.

Barnard, a sophomore, went on to win the 500 freestyle in 4:54.20, also an all-American time. Barnard was challenged by Heather Boylan of Saugus, who finished second in 4:54.87. Victory Chang of University was took third in 4:56.91.

Besides the 200 medley relay, Barnard was also on the 400 freestyle relay team, which won in 3:34.69.

Buck of Laguna Hills won the 100 butterfly in an all-American time of 56.88.

Hayes, who just missed being named swimmer of the meet because her 400 relay team did not win, won both of her events in all-American time standards and named the female swimmer of the meet.

University’s Jessica Hayes, a freshman, won the 200 freestyle in a county-best time of 1:49.92. That was a second off of Stacy Shupe’s 1982 division record. Heather Boylan, a senior from Saugus, finished second (1:50.49). Hayes other victory came in the 100 freestyle (51.48).

Erin Calder of Ayala won the 100 breaststroke (1:05.94) and Heather Dombrady of Apple Valley won the 50 free (24.93).

The Laguna Hills’ boys had the best finish among the county teams, finishing third (175). La Crescenta Crescenta Valley won the title with 259, Newhall Hart was second (188).

Steve Poling, who was on the Hawks’ winning 200 medley relay team, was the only champion for Laguna Hills, winning the 100 breaststroke in 58.08, well off his 1997 division record of 56.37.

Mike Tse of Kennedy won the 100 backstroke (51.44) and Servite’s Jarod Cruzat finished second (51.61). Cruzat also took second behind Kevin Clements of Rowland, who won the 200 IM (1:52.84). Cruzat finished in 1:54.51.

Ken Carpenter of Crescenta Valley, the boys’ swimmer of the meet, set a Division II record in the 100 fly (49.47). That time broke Jeff Julian’s 1993 record of 49.49. Carpenter was swimming next to Hiro Sakoda of Sunny Hills, and helped push him to a second-place finish (50.14), an all-American time standard and the best time in the county. Carpenter also won the 200 freestyle (1:39.03).

Anthony Ervin of Newhall Hart won the 50 (21.07) and 100 freestyles (45.65).