Granada Hills Pools Bid for Double Crown

The quest for a sixth consecutive City Section girls’ swimming championship has begun in earnest for Granada Hills High.

This time, the Granada Hills boys’ team is going along for the ride.

Both teams were undefeated in the regular season, including 5-0 marks in East Valley League competition.

On Thursday, the Highlanders competed in the East Valley League championships at Valley College and qualifying for City Section preliminaries.

Swimmers with the top 24 times in each event among all City schools qualify for preliminaries May 10 at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach.

The Highlander girls have plenty of time to prepare for the continuation of one of the proudest high school sports traditions in the region.

The Granada Hills boys have their eyes on starting a similar tradition. They hope to contend for their first City title.

“I think it’s really looking good,” said Amanda Kim, a girls’ team captain. “We’ve got a good chance to win again.”

Last season, the Highlanders rode the experience and versatility of Jennifer Parmenter, now at USC, and Michelle Nielson, now at Princeton, to an overwhelming victory in the City championships.

Parmenter won City titles in the 500-yard freestyle and 200 individual medley, Nielson won titles in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke the past two years, and both were on record-breaking 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay teams as Granada Hills routed the competition.

“We actually have a Granada Hills strategy we talk about now,” said Kim, a sprinter. “We’re trying to spread out our events, use everybody in whatever way is best for the team.”

Versatile senior twins Nicolette and Claudette Viray compete in the 200 individual medley, 200 freestyle, 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly, as well as relays.

Junior Nicole Shiflett is defending City champion in the 200 freestyle and a top contender in the 100 freestyle.

Jennifer Ward, a junior transfer from Sylmar, placed second in the 100 freestyle and third in the 50 freestyle at the 1999 City championships.

Granada Hills also has sophomore Alex Pedraza in the 500 freestyle and 100 butterfly, and sophomore Tiffany Shapiro swims the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke.

Shapiro is the sister of Granada Hills’ first-year coach, Natalie Shapiro, a former assistant who replaced Jeremy Vaa .

A 1997 Granada Hills graduate, Shapiro is a junior on the Cal State Northridge women’s swim team.

She won City titles in the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly in 1996 and another 200 freestyle title in 1997.

Shapiro was a member of the 200 medley relay team in 1997 that clocked 1:54.51 to set a City Section record broken last year by Granada Hills in 1:52.11.

“I kind of worried about [upholding the tradition] at first,” she said. “I knew what I was getting into and I kind of knew what was going on after helping out last year.

“But I’m not going to sit here and tell them, ‘You have to win.’ I just say, ‘Beat the person next to you. Beat someone.’ That’s all I ask.”

The boys’ success has the Highlandersbelieving they can contend with four-time defending champion Venice and El Camino Real, which placed second in the 1999 City finals. Granada Hills was sixth.

“I think it’s really realistic,” said sprinter William Chae, who is unbeaten in the 50 and 100 freestyle this season.

“I think our team is a lot stronger this year. Even though we’re not all club swimmers, we’re all really dedicated. We’re pretty focused. We feel like this year is our chance.”

Sophomore Tyler Clark, who won the City 500 freestyle title and was runner-up in the 200 individual medley as a freshman, is unbeaten in both events this season.

Chae, another sophomore, was fourth in the 100 freestyle and sixth in the 50 freestyle behind City champion Dmitry Uchitel of Taft last season.

Junior Ilya Novichenok is undefeated in the 100 butterfly and 200 freestyle this season.

Viray, a junior, and Kim, a sophomore, provide depth by both swimming the 200 individual medley and the 100 backstroke.

Chae, Clark and Novichenok also swim on relays.

“Our top three guys, they just don’t lose,” assistant Kevin Blum said. “They’re awesome.”