Mesa, Estancia both earn titles

Barry Faulkner

The Golden West League championship won by the Costa Mesa High boys

swimming team was old hat Thursday, but the one captured by the

Estancia girls was something of a novelty act.

The Mesa boys dominated league finals at Orange High to earn their

third straight league crown.

The Estancia girls, who also dominated, produced their first

league title in recent memory, according to Coach Bob Bandaruk.

“I don’t know that Estancia has ever won league [in girls

swimming],” Bandaruk said. “I may have seen one banner with a

co-championship in the mid-1970s.”

Estancia freshmen Meagan Kunert and Shea Kopp each won two

individual events and contributed to two winning relays to share Most

Valuable Swimmer in the girls meet.

Costa Mesa senior Adam Douglas won two individual titles and

chipped in on two winning relays to share Most Valuable Swimmer

honors for the boys with Westminster senior Sam Danh.

Kunert won the 200-yard freestyle (2 minutes, 5 seconds) an the

500 free (5:35.15).

Kopp was victorious in the 100 free (55.41) and the 100 backstroke

(1:01.93).

Kunert and Kopp were both members of the winning 200 medley and

400 free relays, both of which set league records with clockings of

2:00.21 and 3:56.91, respectively.

Douglas, who sat out his junior season, topped the field in the

100 free and 200 free, swimming personal-record times of 48.59 and

2:09.59, respectively.

Douglas also helped Mesa win the 200 and 400 free relays in

1:29.32 and 3:22.28, respectively.

The Estancia girls, who were 12-0 in dual meets for a second

straight season, amassed 454 points, well ahead of runner-up Costa

Mesa (390.5), the defending league champion.

The Costa Mesa boys, 8-0 in dual meets, including six league

victories, rolled up 403 team points, 51 better than second-place

Westminster.

Estancia sophomore Sydney Barloon was another individual girls

champion. She won the 50 free in 26.43.

The Costa Mesa boys received championship individual efforts from

senior Evan Spencer (2:09.59 in the 200 individual medley) and junior

Kyle Thorsness (58.89 to defend his 100 backstroke crown).

Estancia junior Chad Kunert was the only other local individual

champion, defending his title in the 500 free in a season-best

5:08.81.

The Estancia quartet of Carolina Barnes, Katie Mahan, Melissa

Buchmann and Barloon won the 200 free relay in 1:49.92.

Barnes and Susan Cloud rounded out Estancia’s winning medley

relay, while Mahan and Barloon completed the winning 400 free relay

unit.

Spencer and freshman James Fowler rounded out Mesa’s winning free

relays.

Fowler was second in the 50 free (23.29) and third in the 100 free

(51.58), both significant improvements, Mesa Coach Tim Postiff said.

Chad Kunert (200 free in 1:53.76, a PR), Spencer (100 butterfly in 54.10), Thorsness (100 free in 49.33), Mesa’s Christian Medina (500

free in 5:19.74) and Estancia’s Andrew Fassari (100 backstroke in

58.97) all finished second in boys events.

Girls posting runner-up finishes for Costa Mesa included junior

Annie Le (100 free in 57.96 and 100 breaststroke in 1:14.70), senior Carley Millian (200 IM in 2:26.67), senior Christine Twohig (200 free

in 2:11.05) and senior Allyson Harris (500 free in 5:46.61).

Barnes was second for Estancia in the 100 backstroke in 1:08.59.

The Mustangs’ 200 medley relay of Millian, Le, Harris and Patricia

Marty also finished second.

Douglas’ victory over teammate Thorsness in the 100 free was a

rewarding upset.

“I’ve beaten him one other time all year,” he said.