Irvine Wins Two Titles

Irvine High won its fifth consecutive girls’ title and its second straight boys’ championship at the Southern Section Division I swimming finals Friday at the Belmont Plaza in Long Beach.

One national record, a state record and nine Southern Section records were broken by female swimmers in the meet.

Irvine opened the meet in spectacular fashion, breaking the national high school record in the 200-yard medley relay in 1 minute, 44.80 seconds. Diana MacManus, Sarah Hamilton, Flora Kong and Courtney Cashion broke the record of 1:45.18, set by Phoenix (Ariz.) Shadow Mountain in 1996.

Irvine freshman Diana MacManus set a Division I record in the 100 backstroke, winning in 54.69, breaking the mark of 55.26, set by Nicole Beck of Ventura Buena in 1995. Cashion, Miho Umezawa, Kong and Stephanie Hsiao broke the 400 freestyle-relay record with a time of 3:28.14. The previous mark of 3:28.46 was set by San Clemente in 1999.

San Clemente’s Kristen Caverly just missed two national records, but set Division I records in the 200 individual medley (1:58.86) and the 100 breaststroke (1:01.67).

Caverly’s teammate Sarah Jones broke the 17-year-old 50 freestyle record in 23.04, topping the mark set by Whittier Christian’s Jenna Johnson (23.07) in 1984.