CdM produces high drama

IRVINE — After the 400-yard freestyle relay, Corona del Mar High girls’ swim coach Doug Volding unleashed fist pumps that would make Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods proud.

Volding was celebrating his birthday on Wednesday at the Sea Kings’ Pacific Coast League meet at University, and told his swimmers that.

The CdM girls gave him the best present they could.

CdM took first and third place in that last relay, forging an 85-85 tie that likely means both teams will split the league dual meet title.

“I didn’t even want the people at work to know,” said Volding, who works as a counselor at CdM, of his birthday. “I’m just not into that. But it was like a trump card, you’re reaching for anything that might make a difference. Maybe that would energize them a little bit more; I was just pulling out all the stops.”

For the CdM boys, also undefeated, it was less dramatic but just as impressive. They handed the Trojans their first league loss, 96-74, to jump into the driver’s seat for what would be their first league title since 1995.

Both the Sea King girls (4-0-1, 3-0-1 in league) and boys (4-1, 4-0) teams now have two weeks to prepare for the league finals, which are May 4 at Beckman. And both also now have momentum on their side headed into that meet.

The girls’ side Wednesday wasn’t decided until the 400 free relay team of Heather Van Hiel, Sarah Furgatch, Chelsea Pike and Stephanie Gabert won in 3 minutes, 41.34 seconds. CdM used a very strong third leg by Pike to seize control.

CdM’s second team of Paige O’Brien, Cari Levine, Britney Wigley and Kelsey Larson came in third, sealing the tie.

“We really wanted to just win the relay for the team,” said Furgatch, a sophomore who was also in the victorious 200 medley relay and won the 500 freestyle in a CIF Southern Section Division I automatic time of 5:12.02. “We’ve had a lot of people sick and injured, and Uni is our toughest meet so far. We thought it was really good to at least tie.”

The Sea Kings boys, meanwhile, won eight of 11 events and led the whole meet. Leading the charge was senior Brian Peotter, who was a part of the 200 medley and 400 freestyle winning relay teams. Peotter also won the 50 free (21.95, a CIF automatic time) and 100 free (49.20).

“It’s very big [to beat Uni],” Peotter said. “And to beat them by this much, too. It’s nice, especially because we had a lot of seniors who stuck around.”

CdM junior Yutaro Yamashita also played a prominent role, taking the 200 individual medley in 2:00.53 and the 100 butterfly in a CIF automatic time of 53.40 seconds. Sea King boys’ Coach Barry O’Dea said Yamashita didn’t think he could win the 200 IM over Uni’s John Suh, but he came through with a win by over two seconds.

“Yamashita was huge today,” O’Dea said. “He’s pretty excited. He could have even done better in a couple of turns.”

O’Dea said he thought the boys’ meet would come down to a point or two, but Uni boys’ coach Jon Pendleton said CdM had just too many standout performances.

“CdM just has a lot of really fast swimmers,” Pendleton said. “We couldn’t do anything about it. They’re just faster. They really beat us in the sprint freestyle.”

Senior R.J. Baldoni came in second to Peotter in both the 50 and 100 freestyle races, and Evan Zepfel took the 500 free.

For the Sea King girls, last year’s CIF Division II champions, Pike won the 100 freestyle in a CIF automatic time of 54.31 seconds. Gabert took the 200 free (1:55.63) and Kelsey Larson won the 100 breast (1:08.10), and both are also CIF automatic times.

“I was glad that we went one-two in [the 100 breast],” Furgatch said. “It took off some of the pressure for the relay.”

The CdM girls tied the meet despite Katie Indvik (eye surgery) and Kate Berry (knee surgery) not swimming. Allison Peotter, the Sea Kings’ best backstroke swimmer, tore a muscle in her side and Volding said she’s out for the season.

Her absence helped the Trojan girls sweep the top three spots in the 100 back, taking a lead before CdM came back in the final two events.

Pacific Coast League200 medley relay -- 1. Corona del Mar (Cottrell, Liao, Yamashita, Peotter), 1:40.86.

BOYS

Corona del Mar 96,

University 74

200 free -- 1. Laehy (Uni), 1:51.79; 2. Hultman (CdM), 1:56.53; 3. Jones (Uni), 1:57.19.

200 IM -- 1. Yamashita (CdM), 2:00.53; 2. Suh (Uni), 2:02.92; 3. Lee (Uni), 2:08.14.

50 free -- 1. Peotter (CdM), 21.95; 2. Baldoni (CdM), 22.93; 3. Brandt (Uni), 23.45.

100 fly -- 1. Yamashita (CdM), 53.35; 2. Hicks (Uni), 57.29; 3. Liao (CdM), 57.38.

100 free -- 1. Peotter (CdM), 49.20; 2. Baldoni (CdM), 50.26; 3. Berry (CdM), 50.69.

500 free -- 1. Zepfel (CdM), 5:13.88; 2. Jones (Uni), 5:19.03; 3. Wigley (CdM), 5:19.32.

200 free relay -- 1. Corona del Mar (Hultman, Cottrell, Baldoni, Berry), 1:31.44.

100 back -- 1. Hicks (Uni), 57.17; 2. Cottrell (CdM), 58.29; 3. Nakahara (Uni), 1:02.06.

100 breast -- 1. Suh (Uni), 1:00.77; 2. Lee (Uni), 1:02.63; 3. Liao (CdM), 1:02.78.

400 free relay -- 1. Corona del Mar (Peotter, Baldoni, Berry, Yamashita), 3:22.77.

GIRLS200 medley relay -- 1. Corona del Mar (Larson, Furgatch, Pike, Gabert), 1:53.52.

Corona del Mar 85,

University 85

200 free -- 1. Gabert (CdM), 1:55.63; 2. Chang (Uni), 2:04.04; 3. Wigley (CdM), 2:05.36

200 IM -- 1. Stouffer (Uni), 2:10.52; 2. Larson (CdM), 2:11.78; 3. Lee (Uni), 2:12.31.

50 free -- 1. Jehorek (Uni), 25.12; 2. Pike (CdM), 25.19; 3. Van Hiel (CdM), 25.24.

100 fly -- 1. Lavery (Uni), 1:01.33; 2. R. Theissen (Uni), 1:02.14; 3. Levine (CdM), 1:05.08.

100 free -- 1. Pike (CdM), 54.31; 2. Lavery (Uni), 55.25; 3. Van Hiel (CdM), 56.31.

500 free -- 1. Furgatch (CdM), 5:12.02; 2. Chang (Uni), 5:23.20; 3. Wigley (CdM), 5:24.06.

200 free relay -- 1. University (Jehorek, Gu, Chang, Sirijariyavat), 1:45.23.

100 back -- 1. Stouffer (Uni), 1:01.12; 2. Colao (Uni), 1:07.28; 3. Sirijariyavat (Uni), 1:07.29.

100 breast -- 1. Larson (CdM), 1:08.10; 2. Furgatch (CdM), 1:08.96; 3. Lee (Uni), 1:10.92.

400 free relay -- Corona del Mar (Van Hiel, Furgatch, Pike, Gabert), 3:41.34.