Granada Hills Will Have Double-Date in City Meet

Practice makes perfect, and the Granada Hills boys’ and girls’ swim teams are perfect examples.

Early risers, the Highlanders have elevated to the occasion at every meet this season.

Swimmers on both teams wipe the sleep from their eyes each day to make morning practice sessions at Cal State Northridge--where the only time Granada Hills can have the University Student Union pool is from 5 to 6:30 a.m.--and then they wipe out the competition in the afternoon.

Both teams were 5-0 in dual-meet competition this season and won East Valley League titles.

For the perennial league-champion Granada Hills girls’ team, which also has won City Section championships the last four years, that might not be big news.

But for the boys, it’s a big deal.

“It’s neat that the guys have something of their own,” said Jeremy Vaa, in his first year as Granada Hills’ coach, the Highlanders’ fifth in the five seasons. “What I really want to do is build up the boys’ program.”

Consider the Highlanders well on their way.

The league title is the boys’ first since 1992. Both teams will be well represented in the City Section preliminaries May 12 at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach.

Vaa has built the boys’ team around three freshmen. The strongest competition for Tyler Clark and Alexander Viray in the 200-yard individual medley and 500 freestyle often comes from each other.

Clark and Viray finished 1-2 in both events at the East Valley finals on Monday, and are expected to qualify for the City preliminaries.

“At a meet like that, most schools bring one or two kids,” Vaa said. “With us, it’ll probably be like, 14 girls and four boys. But that’s OK. The more, the merrier.”

Freshman William Chae has excelled in the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle events.

“William has really improved a lot all season,” Vaa said.

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The success of the Granada Hills teams is bound by family ties.

Clark and Viray are siblings of Highlander girls’ swimmers.

Clark has followed in the wake of senior sister Sarah, who finished second in the 100 breaststroke and tied for second with teammate Katherine Nielson in the 100 butterfly in the East Valley League finals.

Alexander Viray is the brother of junior twins Nicolette and Claudette. Nicolette is defending City champion in the 200-yard freestyle, and finished third in the 200 individual medley and swam on the 200-medley and 200-freestyle relay teams at the East Valley League meet.

Claudette was second in the 200 freestyle and was a member of the winning 200 freestyle relay team at the league meet.

The family ties extend to the Granada Hills coaching staff. Vaa’s assistant is Natalie Shapiro, a Granada Hills graduate. Shapiro, 1997 City champion in the 200 freestyle, helps coach her sisters Valerie and Tiffany and the rest of the Highlanders.

Natalie attended Fresno State last year before transferring to Cal State Northridge, where she and Vaa met. Vaa swims for the Northridge men’s team, Shapiro for the women’s squad.

“It’s a good experience,” Tiffany said of working out under the guidance of her sister. “Our coaches know what they’re doing.”

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On the heels of an Easter Bowl 16-and-under doubles championship and a strong showing at the Ojai tournament, freshman Stephen Amritraj of Crespi High has been invited to join a U.S. Tennis Assn. 16-and-under squad that will compete in Europe next month.

The four-week tour will be Amritraj’s first oversees, and will include tournaments in Italy and France from May 23-June 19. Before leaving, the team will train for three days in Key Biscayne, Fla.

“I don’t even know what to expect, except that the competition’s going to be tough,” Amritraj said. “It’s a lot of tennis, but I’m excited. I’m looking forward to it.”

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Rani Setiawati of Glendale College, the Western State Conference women’s singles champion, accomplished her goal in two divisions at Ojai.

In the women’s community college singles tournament, she avenged her only singles loss of the college season with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 quarterfinal victory over Sophie Han of Rio Hondo College.

Setiawati, a freshman from Indonesia, was beaten, 6-3, 6-0, by Jessica Seck of Grossmont in the final.

Setiawati and Karoline Tomicich lost to Seck and Simone Koch in the doubles semifinals, 6-2, 6-1.