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)

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.

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.

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.

The USA Water Polo men's senior national team outlasted Hungary in a shootout, 15-14, in its opening game of the FINA World League Super Final on Tuesday in Chelyabinsk, Russia. Team USA features Corona del Mar High product John Mann and UC Irvine alumni Greg Enloe, Griffin Lerman, Tim Hutten and Brandon Johnson. Team USA plays Japan in its second game of the tournament on Wednesday. — From staff reports

Estancia High did not need to look far to fill its girls' water polo coach opening. The Eagles have turned to a program alumna, someone who has already been an Estancia swimming assistant coach for the past three years. Amber Peters has been hired as Estancia's girls' water polo coach, girls' Athletic Director Jessica Perry confirmed. Peters, who played at set in high school, was a four-year varsity player for the Eagles before graduating in 2009. In her junior and senior years she played under former coach Jennifer Broderick, who resigned in April after six seasons.

NEWPORT BEACH - People probably don't often wear a suit and tie on the pool deck at Newport Harbor High. But on Wednesday, the Newport Beach Water Polo club was happy to welcome someone who was dressed in just that attire. Newport Beach Mayor Keith Curry and his wife Pamela were the special guests of the club. The mayor posed for a huge club picture with players and coaches on the north-side bleachers, before addressing those players. "We are so proud of you as a community," Curry said.

Corona del Mar High product John Mann and three former UC Irvine standouts have been named to the USA roster for the FINA World League Super Final in men's water polo, June 11-16 in Chelyabinsk, Russia. Mann joins Anteater alums Tim Hutten, Brandon Johnson and Greg Enloe on the 15-man roster, announced Monday by Coach Dejan Udovicic. Hutten, a two-time Olympian, was the 2008 recipient of the prestigious Peter J. Cutino Award given annually to the top player in the NCAA. He was a two-time All-American while competing for UCI. Mann scored three goals for Team USA in the 2012 London Olympic Games.

LOS ALAMITOS - Danielle Warde did not follow the same path as many of her teammates on the U.S. senior women's national team. Growing up, Warde was known as a powerful and dynamic center at Edison High before graduating in 2010. But she was not a mainstay on the cadet, youth or junior national team rosters. In fact, it was the opposite. She said she never made any of those squads. "I actually tried out for the youth team, the zone team, and I just never made it," Warde said.

Corona del Mar High alumni John Mann and Tumua Anae are on the No. 1 senior national teams for the FINA World League Prelims that start Friday at Los Alamitos Air Force Base swimming pool. The four-day event will feature a mix of official matches and exhibition contests. The rosters for the USA Men's and Women's Senior National Teams were released Tuesday. Tickets are on sale for the games and can be purchased at http://www.waterpolo.org. Anae, a golaie, is on the Women's National Team 1. Kate Baldoni, also a former CdM goalie, is on the Women's Senior National Team 2, along with former Newport Harbor High standout Kaleigh Gilchrist, who recently helped lead the USC Trojans to the NCAA national championship.

COSTA MESA - One of the first questions Shea Buckner asked three dozen kids at the Costa Mesa Aquatics Center was if they had ever seen a professional water polo game. "Yeah, they played [one] here," one kid responded. "Yeah, I played in it," Buckner said with a smile. The kid didn't remember seeing Buckner, but the 6-foot-5 attacker was in the pool at Costa Mesa High a couple of years ago as a member of the U.S. men's national team. Back then, the Americans played Canada in the school's new 50-meter pool prior to competing at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Two-time Olympian Chris Oeding, a Newport Beach resident and former Corona del Mar High standout, has been named assistant coach for the USA Water Polo Women's Senior National Team, Head Coach Adam Krikorian has announced. The longtime Head Coach at Long Beach City College and captain of the 2000 Olympic Team, Oeding joins the staff of the defending Olympic gold medalists and finalizes the coaching staffs for a host of USA Water Polo National Teams. Fellow Women's Senior National Team Assistant Coach Dan Klatt, the UC Irvine coach, will add to his responsibilities by taking on the role of head coach with the Women's Junior National Team.

They can say that they were part of the longest NCAA women's water polo championship game in history. More importantly for Newport Harbor High graduates Kaleigh Gilchrist and Nicolina McCall, as well as Newport Beach native Chelsea Silvers (Mater Dei), they can say they're national champions. USC freshman Anni Espar scored from long distance in the third sudden-death overtime period, lifting the Trojans to a 10-9 victory over Stanford in the NCAA title match Sunday at Harvard University.