Youth Scene: Killer Whales rule over Dolphins

The Newport Hills Killer Whales defeated the Harbor View Dolhins, 740-578, in a South Coast Swim Conference meet June 19.

It's called, "The Battle of the Greenbelt," and has a long-term history of pitting neighbors, classmates, friends and even teammates from other sports against each other in a swim meet that traditionally has provided intense rivalries in the pool and great smiles and pats on the back after the races.

Newport Hills was led by its 13-14 boys' group, who not only swam to first-place finishes in all five individual stroke events, but also won the medley relay and freestyle relay events.

Bianca Bays in the girls' under-6 and Henry Wilde in the 9-10 boys were both three-time winners in individual stroke events for the Killer Whales. Bays was victorious in the 25-yard freestyle, the 25 breaststroke and 25 butterfly, while Wilde touched first in the 50 free, 50 fly and 100 individual medley.

Eleven Newport Hills swimmers were two-time winners in individual stroke events. Ryan McManigal (25 breaststroke and 25 Butterfly) in the under-6 boys, Jake Bays (25 free and 25 fly) and Speedy Laster (25 backstroke and 50 free) in the 7-8 boys, Chloe Harbilas (50 back and 100 IM) in the 9-10 girls, Morgan Cortens (50 breaststroke and 50 back) in the 9-10 boys, Natalie Wilde (50 back and 100 IM) in the 11-12 girls, Taylor Cortens (50 breaststroke and 100 IM) in the 11-12 boys, Ian Givant (50 free and 100 IM) in the 13-14 boys, Hollace Barden (50 free and 50 fly) and Sarah Furgatch (50 breaststroke and 100 IM) in the 15-18 girls and Christian Garkani (50 fly and 50 back) in the 15-18 boys.

In addition to winning her two events, Furgatch also set two new team and pool records. In the 50 breastroke, her time of 32.72 beat the previous record of 33.17 which had been set by Erin Redfern July of 1989, and her 100 IM winning time of 1:02.87 beat the previous team record of 1:03.43 set by current Newport Hills age-group coach Mary Flynn in July 2007. The 1:03.65 time of second-place finisher Harbor View swimmer Pippa Saunders also broke the old pool record of 1.04.57, also set by Flynn.

In winning the 9-10 girls 50 breaststroke with a time of 36.62, Lauren Openshaw eclipsed the team and pool record she had set two weeks earlier of 37.03, the previous record of 38.22 had been set by Dimitra Havriluk in August of 1993.