Falcons stay on streak in league
LA CRESCENTA — As the Crescenta Valley High girls’ swimming team took its lumps against a slate of top-tier nonleague opponents, Coach Pete Loporchio was confident the experience would translate into wins once the Pacific League season began.
That’s been the case so far, as the Falcons picked up their second landslide league win in the last three days on Thursday, turning in a clean sweep over Burbank for a 121-46 win as a bookend to the Falcons’ boys’ 132-47 win in the home dual meet.
“I think it was worth it to lose [to Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, San Marino and Saugus],” said Crescenta Valley’s Heather Abrams, who won the 200-yard individual medley in 2 minutes 28.54 seconds and the 500 freestyle in 5:44.44 on Thursday on the heels of the Falcons’ league-opening win over Hoover on Tuesday. “That sounds weird, but only because we’re looking forward to the long term. We’re focused more on what we’re going to do at CIF at the end [of the season], not what we were going to do at these little meets.
“It does feel pretty good, like we’re getting the ball rolling and I think these next few meets are going to be really cool for us.”
The Falcons (2-3, 2-0 in league) began with a win in the 200-medley relay behind the efforts of Cameron Campbell, Gabrielle Granados, Katie Benson and Shannon Hovanesian in 2:02.29. Campbell also took first in the 50 freestyle (28.20) and Granados won the 100 backstroke (1:14.53), while Crescenta Valley also got wins from Natalie Krebsbach in the 200 freestyle (2:11.69), Sabrina Hatzer in the 100 breaststroke (1:11.33), Aghakhanian in the 100 butterfly (1:09.19) and Jesse Gabor in the 100 freestyle.
Aghakhanian, Hovanesian, Krebsbach and Abrams won the 200-freestyle relay in 1:53.57 and Aghakhanian, Maggie Connell, Benson and Hovanesian won the 400-freestyle relay in 4:10.72.
“What’s happening, and I can see it on a daily basis, is the water polo girls are now beginning to get in swim shape and we’re becoming a little more assertive and aggressive,” Loporchio said. “We’re starting to see progress now, which is nice going into league.”
The Falcons boys were without standouts Young Tae Seo, Harrison Thai and Louis Wojciechowski, but still won all but one event to move to 4-1, 2-0 on the year.
Jason Suh (200 IM, 2:13.83 and 100 backstroke, 1:01.09) and Edward Yi (200 freestyle, 1:49.93 and 100 butterfly (54.10) were double-winners. The Falcons also got wins from Stephen Woo in the 100 freestyle (51.87), Andrew Lockwood in the 500 freestyle (5:15.22) and Jake Ksendov in the 100 breaststroke (1:05.88).
In relays, Suh, Ksendov, Yi and Antonio Camarillo teamed to win the 200 medley in 1:45.37, Daniel Park, Woo, Camarillo and Ksendov won the 200 freestyle in 1:35.82 and Brian Dertli, Suh, Woo and Yi took the 400 freestyle in 3:33.70.