Mesa, Estancia travel long road

Rick Devereux

The Golden West League swimming preliminaries at Orange High took

close to 5 1/2 hours to complete Tuesday, but in the end, several

Estancia and Costa Mesa boys and girls athletes qualified for

Thursday’s finals, also at Orange.

The Costa Mesa boys team had 17 qualifying times, including three

top qualifying times. The Estancia boys had five qualify for the

finals, including Chad Kunert’s top time of 5:22.85 in the 500-yard

freestyle. Estancia’s Andrew Fassari and Costa Mesa’s Kyle Thorsness

both swam 59.34 in the 100 backstroke for the best time.

“It’ll be an interesting finals,” Mustang Coach Tim Postiff said.

“Kyle should have great backstroke final against [Fassari].”

Thorsness was also the top qualifier in the 100 free (49.64). Evan

Spencer (2:07.63 in the 200 individual medley) and Adam Douglas

(1:49.10 in the 200 free) were the other top qualifiers for Mesa.

“We are tapering for CIF [Southern Section Division III finals]

next week,” Postiff said. “But our guys are still dropping their

times.”

Mesa swimmers posted the top three times in the 100 free with

Thorsness, Adam Douglas (49.70) and James Fowler (52.85).

The Costa Mesa girls posted 18 qualifying times, the most for any

school, and the Estancia girls had 15 qualifying times, including

five top qualifiers.

Freshamn Shea Kopp registered the fastest time in the 100 back

(1:02.28) and the 100 free (56.44). Freshman Megan Kunert earned the

top qualifying time in the 500 free (5:35.61) as well as in the 200

free (2:07.71). Sophomore Sydney Barloon’s time of 27.14 was the

fastest time in the 50 free.

“I did perfectly what I wanted to do [in the prelims],” Kunert

said. “It was more of a training meet for me. I’m focused on the

finals Thursday and on CIF next week.”

The Estancia girls finished 6-0 in league dual meets for the

second straight season. But success in dual meets did not translate

into victory at the league finals last season, when Costa Mesa edged

the Eagles, 337-310.

“We have to win the relays [Thursday in order to win league],”

Estancia girls Coach Bob Banduruk said. “Until the finals are over,

you never know what will happen. But we’re about were I envisioned we

would be heading into the finals.”

Costa Mesa girls had five swimmers qualify second, including Annie

Le in the 100 free (59.28) and the 100 breaststroke (1:15.29).

Christine Twohig (2:13.70 in the 200 free), Carley Millian (2:30.85

in the 200 IM) and Allyson Harris (5:47.51 in the 500 free) also

qualified second.