MacManus Paces Irvine Win

Diana MacManus had more than one reason to be pleased with her performance Friday night at the Southern Section Division I girls’ swim championships at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach.

MacManus, a junior at Irvine, set the only individual meet record in winning the 100-yard backstroke in 54.19 seconds. She also swam a personal-best 50.00-second split in helping the Vaqueros to a national public high school record in the 400 freestyle relay (3:24.64). The previous record was 3:25.91, set last fall by Ann Arbor (Mich.) Pioneer. Irvine could not lower its national high school record in the 200 medley relay for the third consecutive season, missing by .3 seconds in winning in 1:44.01.

MacManus also produced lifetime bests with her backstroke split in Irvine’s medley relay victory and her second-place finish in the 200 individual medley.

“I didn’t hold anything back,” MacManus said. “I dropped my times in every event.”

Irvine also received victories from Courtney Cashion in the 50 and 100 freestyles and four other teammates combined to win the 200 freestyle relay. Irvine won its seventh consecutive Division I title with 295 points. Newport Harbor was second (195) and Santa Margarita third (168).

The girls’ 500 freestyle didn’t produce a record, but Hayley Peirsol of Newport Harbor and Adrienne Binder of Santa Barbara San Marcos waged a thrilling race before Peirsol pulled away to win in 4:45.57. Binder was second in 4:48.55, almost six seconds off her winning time last year. Peirsol also beat Binder in the 200, winning the event in 1:49.82 to Binder’s 1:50.09.

Mission Viejo won the boys’ team title with 247 points over South Coast League rival San Clemente (198) and Anaheim Servite (168).

Danny Beal of Goleta Dos Pueblos was the top overall performer. He won the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly and swam legs on the winning 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay teams.

Shortly after swimming the butterfly leg on the medley relay, Beal won the 200 freestyle (1:39.15) over Mission Viejo’s Larsen Jensen (1:41.11), the American record holder in the 800-meter freestyle. Beal followed with a victory in the butterfly in 49.04, leading three swimmers under 50 seconds.

Adam Hewko of Anaheim Servite defended his title in the 200 individual medley, winning in 1:50.95, and also won the 100 breaststroke in 56.93.

Jensen won the 500 freestyle in 4:24.32, eight seconds off the national high school record.