Youth Scene: Killer Whales dominate

The Newport Hills Swim Team’s Killer Whales dominated the Pacific Sands Penguins of Huntington Beach with a resounding 8820-390 victory in a South Coast Swim Conference meet July 10.

Newport Hills won all but one of the 23 relay events, and the under-6 girls, 7-8 girls, 9-10 boys, 11-12 girls and 11-12 boys Killer Whales all won each of their individual stroke events and both the medley and freestyle relay events. The 7-8 girls foursome of Sophie Wallace, Caroline Garell, Kelly Ramm and Anna Wilde for Newport Hills made their 100-yard freestyle victory extra special when they established a new pool record of 1 minute, 5.39 seconds, eclipsing the old pool record set in 1997 by Killer Whales Athena Meshkin, Gillian Gentry and current Newport Hills age-group coaches Mary Flynn and Paige O’Brien.

Jake Bays (25 breaststroke, 25 butterfly and 50 freestyle) of the 7-8 boys, Madeline Musselman (50 free, 50 breaststroke and 50 fly) of the 11-12 girls and Taylor Cortens (50 fly, 50 backstroke and 100 individual medley) in the 11-12 boys all grabbed three blue ribbons for Newport Hills. In addition, Cortens set two new pool records in both the 50 fly and the 100 IM. His new time of 28.90 in the 50 fly erased the old record of 29.31 set by Killer Whale Gunnar Gustafson in 1984, and his new 100 IM record of 1:04.42 also broke an old Gustafson record of 1:04.91 set in 1984.

Bianca Bays (25 breaststroke and 25 fly) of the under-6 girls, Sophie Wallace (25 breaststroke and 25 fly) and Anna Wilde (25 back and 50 free) of the 7-8 girls, Henry Wilde (25 fly and 50 back) of the 9-10 boys, Natalie Wilde (50 back and 100 IM) of the 11-12 girls, Briana Daboub (50 backstroke and 100 IM) of the 13-14 girls, Hollace Barden (50 fly and 100 IM) of the 15-18 girls and Christian Garkani (50 free and 50 fly) of the 15-18 boys were all two-time winners in individual stroke events for Newport Hills.

Claire Eusey (25 free) and Eleanor Facey (25 back) of the under-6 girls, Jack Pluma (25 breaststroke) and Ryan McManigal (25 fly) of the under-6 boys, Caroline Garell (25 free) of the 7-8 girls, Speedy Laster (25 back) in the 7-8 boys, Madison Strasmann (50 free), Chloe Harbilas (50 breaststroke) and Hana Cloherty (25 fly) in the 9-10 girls, Jack Bendetti (50 free), Morgan Cortens (50 breaststroke) and Conner McManigal (100 IM) in the 9-10 boys, JT Russell (50 free) and Rourke Funke (50 breaststroke) in the 11-12 boys, Marina Coskinas (50 breaststroke) in the 13-14 girls, Andrew Larsen (50 breaststroke), Brett Greenlee (50 fly) and Kyle Cousens (50 back) in the 13-14 boys, Alexandra Musselman (50 breaststroke) in the 15-18 girls and Ben Cooper (50 breaststroke) in the 15-18 boys were all Killer Whale individual events winners.

— Reader submission