PREP SWIMMING NOTEBOOK: TEAM SHIFLETT EXCELS.

Byline: Rich Hammond Staff Writer

Brett Shiflett has established herself as one of the top freshman swimmers in the area and is almost certain to fare well in the Southern Section Championships next month, which should bring a great deal of pride to the Oaks Christian High swimming program.

The only problem is, Shiflett is the Oaks Christian swimming program.

Shiflett, a 14-year-old who is already excelling in three disciplines, is a team of one this spring. Oaks Christian, which opened last fall, fell behind on the construction of its much-heralded swimming pool and decided not to field a team this season.

But Shiflett was not willing to wait another year to start her high school career, so with the encouragement of school officials and the willingness of her mother, Diana, to serve as a school representative, Shiflett has competed in the same meets at Rio Mesa High as an independent swimmer.

``It's fun, because I've been setting all kinds of records for the school,'' Shiflett said with a laugh. ``It's a little weird, but the people at Rio Mesa have been very nice.''

Shiflett connected with Rio Mesa because the wife of her club coach at CCAT Swimming is a coach at the high school and Shiflett competes in every Pacific View League meet, even though the Spartans do not receive any points for her times.

The partnership seems to be working well for Shiflett, who finished first in the 200 and 500 freestyles (with a personal-best time of 5 minutes, 3.95 seconds) at Saturday's Royal Invitational, even though she is strongest in the 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly. She will compete for Oaks Christian in the newly created Division IV at the section meet.

``One of her reasons for going to Oaks was that they were going to have a great facility for swimming,'' Diana Shiflett said. ``When we found out that the pool wasn't going to be ready, she was still excited and ready to go, so we investigated and found a way for her to compete.

``Rio Mesa has been great, they cheer her on even though she's not on the team. I think it's a little hard for her, when they have group cheers and she just has to stand off to the side, but she's having fun with it.

Diana Shiflett wore a burgundy-and-white Oaks Christian jacket, even though another daughter, Nicole, is a standout freestyle sprinter for Agoura High who also won two events (50 and 100 free) at the Royal Invitational.

``I guess I should have worn something for Agoura, too,'' Diana Shiflett said with a smile. ``This gets a little confusing sometimes.''

--Time to change: It happened in major-league baseball this spring when, for whatever reason, the New York Yankees discovered Chuck Knoblauch could no longer be a serviceable second baseman. Royal High swimmer Justin McClure can relate.

McClure, who for the past three years was one of the area's top swimmers in the 500 free, has moved to the 200 free this spring, and it wasn't entirely his choice.

``I just lost my distance,'' McClure said. ``For whatever reason, I can't do it anymore. It's probably (playing) water polo that did it, wore me down or whatever, but it's just not the same.''

McClure doesn't have much reason to worry. He continues to swim well in his other event, the 100 backstroke, and has adapted quickly to the shorter freestyle distance.

At the Royal Invitational, he won the 200 free in 1:46.98 and beat Crescenta Valley's William Ban, an excellent freestyle swimmer, by more than a half-second.

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Crescenta Valley's Alexis Sheridan takes first place in the 200 freestyle at Saturday's Royal Invitational.

John Kennedy/Special to the Daily News