La Reina captures second CIF swim title

Six years ago Joe Comeau wondered if he could help a La Reina High swim team with four members establish itself.

As a volunteer coach for two years and then a paid coach the past four years, he's led the Regents to a standard of excellence while guiding the team this season to its second consecutive CIF Division IV championship.

With that accomplishment, Comeau has announced his retirement as head coach.

"We just wanted to provide an opportunity for the swimmers," Comeau said.

Comeau said he thought it was best to retire after this season.

"Hopefully they'll get somebody who is a good coach who will be willing to coach a team with swimmers as good as these girls are," he said. "Rather than let them run the string out and then retire, I'll leave a year early."

Last week his Regents won the CIF Swimming Championships at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach, with one La Reina diver competing at Claremont McKenna.

In this year's meet that attracted 44 teams, the Regents garnered a record 262 points.

Last year, La Reina scored a previous record high, 251 points, beating Cerritos (199) for the largest-ever division margin of victory at the time, 52 points.

"To win a CIF championship is a pretty big accomplishment," he said. To win it two years in a row is unbelievable."

A big part of this team's success has been the performances of graduating seniors Brianna Blanchard, Kirsten Dansey, Marissa Felton, Finnigan Jones and Sabrina Yannello.

"We are fortunate," the coach said. "We had a group of girls who came in at the same time. I think when you look through the history of the CIFs, you will see some teams that were strong two, three, four years and then they go back into the middle."

Junior Emily Bibb won the 100-yard freestyle in 51.20 and 200-yard freestyle in 1:51.07 to pace individual swimmers from La Reina.

Also winning a first place was the 200-yard medley relay team- composed of Felton and juniors Veronica Espino, Laura DeCesare and Bibb-in 1:55.01.

In addition, the Regents took a first in the 400-yard freestyle relay in 3:40.61, with the team of sophomore April Hubbard, DeCesare, Dansey and Bibb.

Bibb of Simi Valley, La Reina's 2006-07 student body president who also swims for the Conejo-Simi Aquatics club, said her role as a team leader causes her no stress.

"I don't think that anybody gives me pressure," she said. "I think of it that I'm representing my school and I want to try my hardest. I don't think of anything I do as pressure. I want to be the best to represent our team."

The Regents, she said, are all about being a team.

"A lot of people think that swimming is an individual sport. But I think it is a team sport because I definitely would not be anywhere if I didn't have a team."

La Reina had solid participation by several other swimmers. Taking second in the 200-yard individual medley was DeCesare in 2:10.42 and in sixth was junior Veronica Espino in 2:17.26. The fourth-place finish in the

100-yard backstroke was by DeCesare in 1:02.56, Felton was 10th in the same race with a 1:02.72, and freshman Brooke Hubbard was 14th in 1:06.85.

In the 200-yard freestyle relay, the team of Blanchard, junior Genevieve Aamoth, Dansey and Brooke Hubbard took fourth with a 1:45.86 time.

The 200-yard freestyle seventh place was taken by Blanchard in 2:01.91 and in 15th was Aamoth in 2:06.91.

April Hubbard took a 10th in the 100-yard freestyle in 56.69 .

Espino was 11th in the 100yard butterfly in 1:02.66.

Blanchard finished sixth in the 500-yard freestyle with a 5:19.55 time. Brooke Hubbard swam the event in 5:40.60.

Sophomore Erika Harlacher took third in diving with 325.65 points, beating the fourth place finisher by 79.5 points.

For the inaugural Master's meet at Belmont Plaza on Tuesday, all competitors in last week's four division championships will be reviewed and compared.

The top 24 athletes-eight from each division-in each event will compete beginning with warmups at 7:30 a.m. Finals for the last event are expected at 9 p.m.

At the Master's meet, the Regents will have Felton, Espino, DeCesare and Bibb on the 200 medley relay team, Blanchard (in place of Dansey), Hubbard, DeCesare and Bibb on the 400 freestyle relay team, DeCesare in the 200 IM and 100 backstroke and Bibb in the 200 freestyle.

"We have a pretty good contingent," Comeau said. "Two relays, the medley relay is a long shot. They're in 22nd place right now, but our 400 free relay is in 16th place."