Granada Hills Boys Seeking First Title

Granada Hills High will contend for a City Section swimming title Wednesday at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach.

That’s nothing new for the Highlanders, who have won the last six girls’ titles. But this time it’s the boys’ team that has the best chance of winning a championship.

“We feel pretty confident we can win the whole thing,” said freshman Steven Park, top-seeded in the boys’ 50-yard freestyle and No. 2-seeded in the 100 breaststroke in the City championships, which start at 3 p.m. Wednesday.

“Individually, we’re all going to be trying to win our events. But we also want to win as a team. We’ve worked so hard all season.”

Birmingham Coach Ken Haskett, who coached five-time defending boys’ champion Venice last season, believes he knows what will happen.

“Granada Hills is going to win City,” Haskett said. “I can guarantee you that.”

If the Highlanders win their first boys’ title, it will be because they are strong in individual events and relays. Park, William Baier and Eli Novichenok are the team’s top swimmers.

Baier easily won the 500 freestyle in 5:06.27 in the City preliminaries last week and he placed second in the 100 freestyle behind Kennedy’s Keun Rhee , a double winner in prelims in the 100 and 200 freestyles.

Novichenok, the City champion in the 100 butterfly and runner-up in 200 freestyle last season, is seeded No. 2 in the 200 and No. 3 in the 100 freestyle.

Granada Hills also figures to score in relays, where points are doubled. The Highlanders won in the prelims in the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays and placed third in the 200 freestyle relay.

The Birmingham, Palisades and Cleveland boys’ teams figure to battle for second.

El Camino Real, runner-up to Venice the last four seasons, has two of the City’s best swimmers in Brett Brown and Andrew Warren, but lacks depth.

On the girls’ side, El Camino Real is favored to win the title after three consecutive runner-up finishes.

“We’re going to go out to try to win, of course, but it’s going to be close,” said El Camino Real senior Elizabeth Inai, defending champion in the 200 individual medley and 100 backstroke.

The Conquistadores will be challenged by a deep Palisades squad and, possibly, defending champion Granada Hills.

Granada Hills’ top swimmers are Jennifer Ward and Hitomi Aihara, top-seeded in the 100 butterfly and 100 breaststroke, respectively.

El Camino Real counters with the top-seeded Inai (200 individual medley) and Nicole Shattuck (200 freestyle). The Conquistadores also rely on Krista Simmons, seeded No. 2 in the 100 freestyle and breaststroke, as well as top-seeded teams in the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays.

The top girls’ swimmer could be Cleveland senior Amy Jones, who holds City records in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyles and 100 butterfly. This time, she is top-seeded in the 100 backstroke and 500 freestyle.

“I just got so tired of the sprints,” Jones said. “I wanted to extend myself and see what happens.”