Polo

A Newport Harbor High School water polo player awaits the OK from doctors before he can get back in the water. Nathan MacLaine, a sophomore and backup goalie for the varsity water polo team was hurt in an accident over the weekend, said his coach Brian Kreutzkamp. The athlete was reportedly wrestling around with friends on the beach when he was knocked over and hit his head, Kreutzkamp said. "His mom came and talked to me," the coach said. "He, according to her, fractured his skull.

John Vargas is Ted Newland's friend. Vargas, the head coach of the top-ranked Stanford men's water polo team, used to live at Newland's house. Vargas, the former Corona del Mar High coach, played at UC Irvine under Newland in the early '80s. However, when Irvine faced the Cardinal in the championship match of the Southern California Tournament Sunday, friendship was hardly on Newland's mind. "I'm a very competitive human being," Newland said. "It's harder because we both like each other a lot. But, in college polo, I'm going to try to kick his (backside)

SAN MARCOS - Jeff Pratt had three goals to lead Orange Coast College to a 12-4 nonconference win over host Palomar College Tuesday in men's water polo. With the game still close at 7-4, the Pirates (14-3-1) scored five unanswered goals in the fourth quarter to put the game away. Eric Kim, Doug Jacoby and Kevin Becker each scored twice for the Bucs. Next up for OCC is a road trip to Cypress to take on the Chargers Thursday at 3 p.m. NONCONFERENCE Orange Coast 12, Cypress 4 Orange Coast 2 4 1 5 - 12 Palomar 2 1 1 0 - 4 Orange Coast: Pratt 3, Kim 2, Jacoby 2, Becker 2, Butler 1, Lancelotti 1, Alcarado 1. Saves: Oliver 8.

The UC Irvine women's water polo team has been ranked 12th in the nation by the Collegiate Coaches Water Polo Poll. Coach Julie Swail's Anteaters finished last season ranked 14th in the country. Teams in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation make up 10 of the top 13 teams in the country, with top-ranked Stanford, leading the way. UCI, which will face 14 schools ranked in the preseason top 20 this year, will open the 2003 season Sunday at the university of Redlands Invite.

Tony Altobelli PLEASANT HILL - Orange Coast College men's water polo team will have to go to bed early Thursday night in order to be prepared to face West Valley College in the opening match of the Hyundai-California Community College Water Polo State Championships Friday. Game time is set for 7 a.m. and Coach Chris Oeding's squad will have to open the match against No. 1 Northern California team after a disappointing fourth-place finish at the Southern California regional tournament.

BEIJING — Former UC Irvine All-American Jeff Powers scored two goals as the U.S. Olympic men’s water polo team defeated Germany, 8-7, Monday in China to advance to the medal round for the first time since 1992. Ryan Bailey and Tim Hutten, two other previous UCI All-Americans, scored one goal each as Team USA won Group B with a 4-1 record. The U.S. earned a bye into the semifinals and will face the winner of the Spain-Serbia quarterfinal. The U.S. men’s water polo team is scheduled to play its semifinal Friday at 7:40 p.m. in Beijing (2 a.m., PST)

PRINCETON, N.J. - Newport Harbor High product Jon Pharris, a senior co-captain for the Princeton University men's water polo team, has been named the Collegiate Water Polo Association Southern Division Player of the Week. Pharris, the Tigers' goalie, capped a busy weekend with 15 saves in Princeton's 8-2 victory over Navy. He also recorded 15 saves in a 9-5 win at Bucknell, as the Tigers have opened the CWPA season with four straight victories. Last year, Pharris earned first-team CWPA All-Southern honors and was named to the American Water Polo Coaches Association's all-academic team.

Newport Harbor High senior Erin Reid has made a verbal committment to play water polo at UCLA next year. Reid said she was almost headed to Santa Clara, but then UCLA Coach Adam Krikorian called and told her she got in. ?I switched plans really quickly,? said Reid, whose parents Scott and Jill also both went to UCLA. Reid, a left-handed driver and transfer from Laguna Beach High, scored 44 goals for the Sailors this year in helping them win the CIF Southern Section Division I title over Back Bay rival Corona del Mar. Reid, a second-team All-Sunset League selection, added 23 steals.

COSTA MESA - Orange Coast College's men's water polo team used a strong third quarter to pull out a 13-6 victory over visiting Saddleback in both teams Orange Empire Conference opener. After trailing 5-2 into the second quarter, OCC ripped off 11-straight goals to secure the win. Scott Butler had three goals, while Kevin Becker, Chaz Leeper and Matt McKinney each added two goals for the Pirates (9-3, 1-0). ORANGE EMPIRE CONFERENCE Orange Coast 13, Saddleback 6 Saddleback 4 1 0 1 - 6 Orange Coast 2 4 5 2 - 13 Orange Coast: Butler 3, Becker 2, Leeper 2, McKinney 2, Dugger 1, Kim 1, Lancelott 1, Smalley 1. Saves: Oliver 7.

Some of the best water polo players in the world are coming to Newport Harbor High next weekend. With the weeks dwindling until the London Olympics, the Newport Beach Water Polo club is working on making it into a Memorial Day weekend to remember. The club is hosting a three-day, pre-Olympic water polo showcase at Newport Harbor starting Saturday. Three of the top men's national teams in the world — Team USA, Hungary and Croatia — will be participating. Robert Lynn can't wait.

LOS ANGELES - As the U.S. Olympic women's water polo team was named Thursday, Coach Adam Krikorian read off the names in alphabetical order. The first name was the former Corona del Mar High and USC standout, Tumua Anae. This led to a funny moment at the announcement at the LA84 Foundation. "It was a little awkward," Anae said. "He kind of just looked at me. I wasn't sure of the formality of it, if we were supposed to hug or shake hands. But I'm all about the hugs. " It makes sense.

The UC Irvine women's water polo team is the No. 4 seed and will play No. 5-seeded Loyola Marymount in the first round of the NCAA Championship, May 11 at 8:15 p.m. at San Diego State. The Anteaters (24-6) won their fourth straight Big West Conference Tournament title and are making their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance. UCI split two matches with Loyola Marymount (20-9) this season, posting a 12-9 win at LMU on Feb. 18 and absorbing a 9-6 loss on Feb. 25 at UCI. Stanford (23-2)

Maddy McLaren is super-competitive in just about everything she does. More than just a defender for the Newport Harbor High girls' water polo team, the senior was the Sailors' leading scorer for the second straight year. More than just a player in the water, she acted as a coach at times, verbally telling her teammates what to do in certain game situations. Not every situation was favorable for the Sailors. Not every person outside of the team believed. At the start of the regular season Newport Harbor was ranked No. 5 in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 coaches' poll - respectable, but low for the perennial powerhouse.

The Costa Mesa Aquatics club added another big tournament win to its trophy case. The 10U team took the championship last weekend at the Laguna Beach tournament. The club went undefeated, winning five games against some major powerhouse teams. Never falling behind in any of the games, CMAC easily sailed through the tournament, beating Capistrano Valley, 11-8, Huntington Beach, 14-1, Pacific Polo, 13-2, Corona del Mar, 5-1, and 15-5 against RIverside for the championship. Coaches Cody and Dustin Serrano said they are so proud of how hard the team played and they are quickly becoming one of the top 10U teams in the area.

CIF Southern Section Division 1 championship match No. 1 Corona del Mar (28-2) vs. No. 2 Newport Harbor (26-4) When/where: Saturday, 7:45 p.m. at Woollett Aquatics Center in Irvine Key Sea Kings: Sr. utility Pippa Saunders (55 goals, 28 assists, team-high 45 steals); Sr. goalie Alex Musselman (280 saves); Sr. center Diana Murphy (co-team high 79 goals, 41 steals); Jr. attacker Cassidy Papa (co-team high 79 goals, 41 assists, 42 steals); Jr. attacker Ally McCormick (61 goals, team-high 64 assists)

Five is the maximum amount of times the Corona del Mar and Newport Harbor high school girls' water polo teams can meet in a season. The Sea Kings and Sailors have already met this year in the Battle of the Bay, the Holiday Cup third-place game and the championship games of the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions and Irvine Southern California Championships. That's four. The fifth game could be on the biggest stage of all, for the CIF Southern Section Division I championship.

GIRLS' WATER POLO Irvine Southern California Championships CORONA DEL MAR - Senior Diana Murphy scored seven goals as top-seeded Corona del Mar beat Warren, 17-6, in the second round of the tournament Thursday at CdM. Pippa Saunders had four goals and Cassidy Papa added three for CdM (21-1), which beat Long Beach Cabrillo, 14-2, in the first round earlier Thursday behind four goals from Papa and three from Saunders. Senior goalie Alex Musselman made a combined 14 saves in the two games for the Sea Kings.

Turning a dream into reality is seldom a smooth course. That's what members of the Afghanistan National Water Polo Team are learning in their quixotic quest to come to the United States to train and prepare for their unlikely bid to compete in the Olympics. When I wrote about the team last fall, plans were underway for a visit to Southern California so players could learn from the deep reservoir of water polo talent in the region. Their itinerary was to include a lengthy stopover in Newport Beach, where they planned to practice at the Corona del Mar High School pool, and learn from local players and coaches.

Some of the most valuable respect a person can get is from his peers. As team captain, Newport Harbor High senior Farrel South had that from his Sailors' teammates. In a broader sense, South had respect from his water polo-playing peers across CIF for his considerable skills. He had some La Cañada players standing behind the announcer's table buzzing during a CIF Southern Section Division I semifinal game Nov. 16 against El Toro. South had two blistering shots in the fourth quarter, scoring each time to bring the Sailors closer.