Newport Hills defeats Pacific Sands Penguins

This Saturday is the Battle of the Greenbelt between the Newport Hills Killer Whales Swim Team and the Harbor View Dolphins Swim Team. If you are a swimming fan on the Corona del Mar side of the bay, you usually attend this annual showdown.

This year should be more exciting than ever, as a number of swimmers from the Corona del Mar High swim team as well many water polo players from both the boys' and girls' highly ranked Corona del Mar water polo teams will be participating for one of the two squads at this meet, which starts at 9 a.m. at the Newport Hills pool.

In preparation for the upcoming big day, Newport Hills traveled north to Huntington Beach this past Saturday to take on the Pacific Sands Penguins at their brand new swimming facility. Although Pacific Sands always has a number of strong individual swimmers, the depth of the Killer Whales was again too much this year, and Newport Hills cruised to a 746-541 victory.

The Killer Whales were led by their under-6 boys, 7-8 girls and their 7-8 boys, all of which took first-place ribbons in each of their individual stroke events as well as their two relays.

In addition, Jake Bays set a new Killer Whale team mark in the 9-10 boys' 25-yard butterfly with a time of 13.85 seconds, and Hollace Barden broke her own Newport Hills team record again in the 15-18 girls' 50-yard freestyle event, setting the new bar at 25.53 seconds.

Six Newport Hills swimmers were three-time winners in individual stroke events: in the 7-8 girls' division, Bianca Bays was a winner in the 25 free, 25 breaststroke and 50 free, in the 7-8 boys Ryan McManigal won the 25 free, 25 fly and 50 free. Sophie Wallace, in the 9-10 girls, was victorious in the 50 free, 25 fly and 100 individual medley. Jake Bays, in the 9-10 boys, was a blue-ribbon winner in the 50 free, 25 fly and 100 IM. In the 13-14 girls, Madeline Musselman grabbed the gold in the 50 free, 50 fly and 50 backstroke. And, in the 15-18 girls, Hollace Barden continued her winning ways with first-place finishes in the 50 freestyle, 50 breaststroke and 50 fly.

Four Killer Whale swimmers were two-time winners in individual events: Alexandra Boserup (under-6 girls) in the 25 free and 25 back, Jacob Winn (25 free, 25 back) and John Laster (25 breaststroke, 25 fly) in the under-6 boys, and Henry Wilde (11-12 boys) in the 50 back and 100 IM.

Other Newport Hills swimmers who were winners in individual stroke events included Sierra Kuperschmid (25 fly) and Riley Hult (25 back) in the 7-8 girls, Nico Hult (25 breaststroke) and Ayden Ziegler (25 backstroke) in the 7-8 boys, Anna Wilde (50 breaststroke) in the 9-10 girls, Speedy Laster (50 back) in the 9-10 boys, Kaveh Moaddeli (50 free) and Joe Rosensitto (50 breaststroke) in the 11-12 boys, Jaleh Moaddeli (50 breaststroke) in the 13-14 girls and Rourke Funke (50 breaststroke) in the 13-14 boys.

— Reader submission