Wong queen of Corona del Mar pool

Brynne Wong did not come into the Corona del Mar High girls' swimming program last year as some wide-eyed freshman.

Wong said she had goals of making CIF and setting the school record in the 100-yard butterfly.

"That was kind of my goal the whole year, those two things," said Wong, who accomplished both goals. "I wanted to leave my name on the [record] board here."

Fast forward a year and Wong is still blazing fast. She now has two individual school records after the Pacific Coast League finals May 6. Wong broke her own record in the 100 fly (56.19 seconds) and also Ashley Chandler's 2006 mark in the 50 free, setting the new mark at 24.18. She was also a part of the 200 free relay team (also including Tori Gabert, Ally McCormick and Hollace Barden) that touched first in 1 minute, 38.98 seconds, yet another school record.

The only other female featured so prominently on that record board just happens to be Wong's high school co-coach, Stephanie Gabert. She didn't swim the same events, but both are products of Irvine-based AquaZot Swim Club.

"I'm so proud of Brynne," said Gabert, who owns the CdM records in the 200 free, breaststroke, individual medley and was on the record-setting medley relay and 400 free relay teams. "I know she works really hard. She doesn't train with us, but I know her really well as a swimmer because I did swim over at A-Zot. She's a really hard worker. She has such heart for swimming, and I just love that about her. If she wants something, she'll go out and get it."

Wong, who qualified second, wants a first-place butterfly finish at the CIF Southern Section Division I finals Friday at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach. It would be even better if she could lower her personal-best time of 56.11 seconds. She's also slated to swim in the consolation final of the 50 freestyle.

Wong has high expectations for herself, understandable as she's been swimming for the AquaZots since she was 5 years old. Brynne said she and her older sister Natalie, a junior on the CdM swim team, started off at a young age since her uncles on her mother's side of the family were all swimmers.

"They wanted to get us to try it, and then we just wanted to keep going," Brynne Wong said.