Mesa girls close strong

Costa Mesa High swimming coach Kyle Thorsness instructed the Mustangs’ Cialee Enslow as she stood on the block during the meet-ending 400-yard freestyle relay Wednesday.

Enslow was swimming the anchor leg against rival Estancia. The last thing Thorsness needed was a disqualification.

“Safe, Cialee!” he yelled out. “Safe, safe!”

Team victories for the Mustangs did not seem like totally safe bets before the meet began. But Mesa stepped up to sweep the Battle for the Bell rivalry meet for the second straight year.

Costa Mesa’s girls beat Estancia, 91-79, while the boys were 98-72 winners at Costa Mesa High.

“If they would have won that, we would have had to go two-three just to tie,” Thorsness said of the 400 free relay. “The Calvary meet, it was the same thing, it came down to the last relay for the girls. League finals is going to be tough. It’s going to be a close one.”

The Mustang girls managed to improve to 2-0 in the Orange Coast League with another close win after beating Calvary Chapel, 80-75, last week. The meet against Estancia stayed competitive throughout and was tied, 70-70, headed into the final two events.

Estancia’s Finley Garnett won the 100 breaststroke in 1:21.19, but Mesa freshman Alyssa LeCours and teammates Kaylie Tickenoff and Grace Ly finished second, third and fourth, respectively. The Mustangs took a two-point lead into the 400 free relay.

There, they sealed the deal. The “A” team of Lauren Kiefer, Kendra Ferguson, Sarah Catania and Enslow touched first in 4:19.83 to clinch the win. For good measure, Mesa’s “B” team of Harper Yeager, Tickenoff, Karlee Kistler and Ly finished second place, ahead of Estancia’s “A” team.

“It was just like last year, we had to pick it up toward the end,” said Kiefer, a junior. “I didn’t feel like I was doing so hot during my 200 relay, so I tried to pick it up during the 400 ... We work really well as a team. We all push each other.”

Kiefer was the lone double-event winner for the Costa Mesa girls, capturing the 200 free in 2:17.87 and the 500 free in 6:12.19. Both times were personal-bests, even though she has been battling biceps tendinitis.

Kistler won the 100 fly in 1:16.10, and Enslow captured the 100 free in 1:05.40.

Estancia (1-1 in league) had a pair of double winners on the girls’ side. Besides winning the breaststroke, Garnett also won the 50 free in 28.31 seconds. Estancia senior Brandi White captured the 200 individual medley, in 2:34.53, as well as the 100 backstroke in 1:08.

“It was pretty intense, both on the boys’ and the girls’ side,” White said. “Everyone was super-excited and definitely pumped to be swimming against Mesa. Coming into their territory, it was definitely a little different for us, but I think we made up for it in our cheering and supporting each other. We really tried our best today, and I think that’s what really counted.”

White, also a standout soccer player, said she looks forward to league finals to try to defend her 100 backstroke title. She’s won the event at league finals as a freshman, sophomore and junior.

The Eagles’ Julia Paluch, White, Tuxford and Garnett won the 200 medley relay, while Estancia’s Garnett, Alex Adkisson, Tuxford and White did the same in the 200 free relay.

On the boys’ side, the Mustangs (2-0 in league) won it despite being shorthanded. Thorsness said that distance freestyler Augustus Cunningham was on vacation, and another varsity starter who usually swims the 50 freestyle and the breaststroke wasn’t there.

“It kind of shows how we came together as a team,” said Mesa freshman Teak Zachary, who closed strong to win the 100 butterfly in 1:02.70. “We had a lot of kids who don’t usually swim varsity come up, and they totally killed it. I’m really proud of my teammates. I’m very excited for what our team has in store for this season.”

The Mustangs had no double-event winners but won it with their depth. Jacob Petersen won the 50 free in 23.42, followed by teammate Tony Shin in 23.71. Mesa also went one-two in the 100 breast, won by Nick Ly in 1:09.41 and with Diego Vidrio in second. August Akerstrom won the 500 free in 5:49.35, followed by Dien Do in 6:29.37.

“Dien Do had never swam varsity before, never swam more than 100 in a meet,” Thorsness said. “We threw him in the 500 and he got second place.”

Costa Mesa also won both freestyle relays. Vidrio, Shin, Ly and Petersen won the 200 free relay in 1:36.76, while Ly, Shin, Caleb Fleener and Petersen won the 400 free relay in 3:30.89.

Jason Chesemore swam a 49.41 anchor split to nearly catch up in that final relay for Estancia (1-1 in league), which touched in 3:31.12. Chesemore also won the 200 free in 1:54.11 and the 100 free in 50.64, staying undefeated in those events this season for the Eagles.

Cobi White was another double-winner for Estancia, capturing the 200 IM in 1:55.05 and the 100 back in 1:00.74. The Eagles’ Chris DeFrenza, White, Kent Lim and Chesemore also won the medley relay in 1:50.91.

“We’re just not as deep as Mesa, but we had a lot of great swims,” Estancia boys’ coach John Carpenter said. “That last [400 free relay], that’s what makes high school sports exciting. Even though we lost the meet by 26 points, just seeing that last race was cool.”

Medals were presented to all event winners Wednesday by Costa Mesa United and representative Jose de la Jara. The medals say “2016 City Champions.”