Newport Harbor swimming sweeps Wave League finals

For all of its water polo excellence, swimming league titles have been something that have evaded the Newport Harbor High aquatics program.

Coming into Thursday’s Wave League finals at Golden West College, the Sailors boys hadn’t won league since 2017. It had been even longer for the girls, who hadn’t come out on top since 2006.

But a blitz of fast performances made sure Newport Harbor reigned supreme in 2023.

Newport Harbor’s boys and girls both eased to the Wave League title. The Sailors boys accumulated 795 points, ahead of Edison (471), Marina (214) and Laguna Beach (210).

The Sailors girls finished with 650 points, surpassing two-time defending league champion Laguna Beach (400), Edison (359) and Marina (223).

Newport Harbor’s Aidan Arie celebrates winning the boys’ 200-yard freestyle during the Wave League swimming finals at Golden West College on Thursday.

(Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer)

“What a special day,” said Newport Harbor coach Kevin Potter, who graduated from the school in 2001. “Looking up at that [record] board [on deck] and seeing that we only had three league championships for the girls in school history, and to add one, that’s special. My grandma and grandpa went to school there and graduated in ’33 and ‘34, so it’s been around a while.”

Sophomore club swimmers Aidan Arie and Bobby Wright were both double individual winners Thursday for the Newport boys. Arie won the 200-yard freestyle in 1 minute, 40.91 seconds, and was also victorious in the 500 free (4:32.52).

He’s about three seconds off the school record in the latter event but hopes to make a run at it next week at the CIF Southern Section finals at Riverside City College, when he’ll be tapered.

Marina’s Winston Lee competes in the boys’ 100-yard butterfly during the Wave League swimming finals Thursday.

(Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer)

The Sailors swept the top three spots in the boys’ 500 free, with Gavin McNeal and Mateo Abourjeily grabbing second and third, respectively.

“I love the 500 because we have so many swimmers,” Arie said. “It’s awesome because we learn from each other, I get to help them out and stuff. It’s nice to be surrounded in the final by your teammates.”

Newport Harbor won all three relays and was aided by water polo seniors like Finn Genc (first in the 100 free, second in the 200 free) and Finn LeSieur (first in the 50 free, second in the 100 free).

Newport Harbor’s Ariana Amoroso swims the first leg of the girls’ 200-yard medley relay during the Wave League swimming finals Thursday.

(Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer)

“We have some really strong water polo kids who are just really helping,” Arie said. “It’s not like they’re pulling their own weight, they’re pushing the team, and it’s really great. I like that aspect of it.”

Marina senior Winston Lee won the butterfly, while Edison’s Holden Lee, Jacob Chalabian and Anthony Cecco swept the top three spots in the backstroke.

On the girls’ side, Newport Harbor was similarly dominant. Sophomore Ariana Amoroso was a double winner in the 50 free (24.67) and backstroke (58.08).

Another Newport sophomore, Harper Price, won one of the most exciting races of the day, out-touching Marina sophomore Jadyn Chaffins to win the 100 free by four-hundredths of a second in 54.90.

Edison’s Gaby Kelly swims the butterfly during the girls’ 200 IM during the Wave League swimming finals at Golden West College on Thursday.

(Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer)

Price was born in 2007, the year after Newport Harbor’s last girls’ swimming league title.

“We’re pretty happy about it,” said Price, who finished second to Chaffins in the 200 free. “It took a lot of practice, consistency, conditioning, hard work.”

Newport Harbor’s girls did it with just two seniors on their roster — Chiara Amoroso and Samantha Arie.

Edison sophomore Gaby Kelly was a double-winner in her events for the second straight year. She won the girls’ 200 IM (2:08.19) and 500 free (5:03.03), and each time was her personal-best.

“I’m really stoked,” Kelly said. “Back-to-back winner, which is cool. I definitely want to get faster [at CIF]. For my 500, I’d like to get under five minutes. It’s tough, but I know I can do it.”

Marina’s Alexandra Marumoto competes in the girls’ 100-yard butterfly during the Wave League swimming finals at Golden West College on Thursday.

(Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer)

Laguna Beach senior Jana Jocic won the breaststroke and swam anchor on the winning 200- and 400-free relays.

Marina junior Alexandra Marumoto touched first in the butterfly (a personal-best 59.60) and was second in the breaststroke in 1:07.39. She also helped the Vikings girls to a 200 medley relay win, as they out-touched Newport Harbor.

During Tuesday’s Wave League preliminaries, Marumoto had touched in a school-record 1:06.25 in the breaststroke. This broke Anne Simmons’ 1990 record of 1:06.82.

“I was a little upset [Thursday] because I added a second,” she said. “During prelims, I was trying to beat the school record ... I’m excited because this will be my first year at CIF. I qualified for sure on the breast, and I think we made it on the relay. I’m excited to go with the team.”