Newport Beach Breakers moving to Irvine, changing name

The 2012 logo for the Orange County Breakers.

The Newport Beach Breakers are changing their name to the Orange County Breakers and moving to Irvine, World Team Tennis announced Wednesday.

The Orange County Breakers will play their seven home matches on a specially-constructed court at the Bren Events Center, on the campus of UC Irvine. UCI is where Breakers head coach Trevor Kronemann coaches the men’s tennis team.

The Orange County Breakers also have a new General Manager, with Kerry Schneider taking over for Jeff Purser. Hoag Hospital no longer manages the Breakers.

The Breakers had played in Newport Beach since 2003. They played the past two years at The Tennis Club Newport Beach. In 2007-09, they played in a stadium in the parking lot of the Newport Beach Country Club.

“Our rebranding as the Orange County Breakers and the move to the Bren Center in centrally located Irvine better aligns the team with the entire Orange County community,” Schneider said in a release. “The Bren Center has hosted a number of high profile events, including several World Team Tennis matches, so we know they will be a great home for the Breakers and our fans.”

CdM emerges as champion

SANTA BARBARA — They definitely did it the hard way.

The Corona del Mar High girls’ water polo team fell behind in each of its final three games at the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions.

In each game, the Sea Kings owned the fourth quarter. Now they have the championship hardware to prove it.

Corona del Mar rallied from a four-goal deficit to stun Back Bay rival Newport Harbor, 10-8, in the TOC final Saturday night at Santa Barbara High. And, while the Sea Kings said it definitely felt good to beat the Sailors for the third time this season, winning the tournament meant more.

…Continue reading CdM emerges as champion

Newport’s Farrel South commits to Cal

Newport Harbor High senior Farrel South has verbally committed to Cal for men’s water polo, he said Monday.

South said he made the decision Sunday, on Christmas Day. He was also considering UCLA and USC.

“I just felt like I was already a part of the team [at Cal] whenever I visited,” South said. “It felt like home.”

South was the Newport-Mesa Player of the Year this year for boys’ water polo. The Sunset League MVP scored a team-high 85 goals for the Sailors (25-2). He was also a first-team All-CIF Division I selection.

South said he called Cal Coach Kirk Everist on Sunday to let him know the news.

“I told him, ‘I have one more Christmas present for you – I want to become a Bear,’” South said.

South can sign his national letter of intent on Feb. 1.

Sea Kings denied CIF crown

IRVINE — The Corona del Mar and Long Beach Wilson high school boys’ water polo teams played for the third time this season Saturday.

Corona del Mar had won the first two games in overtime. This one was more important, as the traditional powerhouses played with the CIF Southern Section Division II title on the line.

Wilson Coach Tony Martinho figured his No. 3-seeded Bruins had more than an outside shot against the top-seeded Sea Kings.

The outside shot of junior Maxwell Irving was almost all Wilson needed to pull the upset.

Irving scored a match-high four goals and also made a key defensive play as the Sea Kings were stunned, 7-6, before a standing-room only crowd of about 1,500 at Woollett Aquatics Center.

…Continue reading Sea Kings denied CIF crown

McLaren commits to UCLA

Newport Harbor's Maddy McLaren will be a Bruin next year.

Newport Harbor High senior Maddy McLaren has verbally committed to play water polo at UCLA, she said Wednesday.

McLaren said she enjoys the team members and the coaches at UCLA. Two of the program members are her friends from Newport Harbor, freshmen Mary Rose Wight and Sarah Wilkey.

“I’ve visited them a lot,” McLaren said. “I really love everything about the school, so it’s a perfect fit for me.”

McLaren was the Newport Harbor girls’ water polo team’s leading scorer last year as a junior, with 60 goals scored. She earned first-team All-Sunset League and All-CIF Southern Section Division I honors, and was a member of the Daily Pilot Newport-Mesa Dream Team.

She’s a versatile player who is also a standout defender. She said she was also considering Cal and USC.

McLaren can sign with the Bruins during the national letter of intent early signing date, which begins Nov. 9 for women’s water polo.

Newport resident CoCo Vandeweghe wins at U.S. Open

Newport Beach resident CoCo Vandeweghe won her first-round match at tennis’ U.S. Open on Tuesday, defeating Alberta Brianti of Italy, 7-5, 6-3, in Flushing Meadows, New York.

It was the first win for Vandeweghe, 19, in the singles main draw of a Grand Slam tournament. She had lost in the first round of her previous six Grand Slam appearances.

Vandeweghe, ranked No. 112 in the world, plays No. 9-seeded Samantha Stosur of Australia in Wednesday’s second round. Vandeweghe and Stosur are scheduled to be the third match on court at Louis Armstrong Stadium, where play starts at 8 a.m. Pacific Standard Time.

Sage’s Billingsley, CdM’s Slevcove continuing at Cal State Fullerton

Sage Hill graduate Devyn Billingsley is one of two area players who will continue with Cal State Fullerton. Photo by Scott Smeltzer/Daily Pilot

Recent Sage Hill School graduate Devyn Billingsley and Corona del Mar High graduate Kalika Slevcove are both continuing their respective tennis careers at Cal State Fullerton.

Billingsley would be the second Sage Hill program alumna to continue her career at a Division I college. The first was former Lightning standout Julia Blakeley, who now plays at George Washington University.

Billingsley was the Sage Hill Female Athlete of the Year last year for Sage Hill. Playing at No. 2 doubles with Lauren Hsu, she helped the Lightning girls reach the CIF Southern Section Division III championship match before losing to rival St. Margaret’s.

Slevcove played at No. 1 doubles for CdM with partner Morgan McVey. Put together as a team midway through the season, they had a 17-3 record as they helped CdM reach the Division I semifinals, before the Sea Kings fell to top-seeded eventual champion Campbell Hall.

Cal State Fullerton finished 7-17 last spring, advancing to the quarterfinals of the Big West Championships.

Newport graduate Wilkey is golden

Sarah Wilkey won gold with HBWPC on Sunday at the USA Water Polo Junior Olympics. Photo courtesy of Jason Beebe.

IRVINE — Talking to Sarah Wilkey last summer at the USA Water Polo Junior Olympics, she had a sort of quiet confidence.

Wilkey was about to start her senior year. She was stepping into the starting goalie role for the Newport Harbor High varsity girls’ water polo team, an especially important position for the Sailors and their renowned press defense.

“I had to jump into it really quickly,” Wilkey said at the time. “I really don’t have that much experience, so it’s been kind of hard to adjust, but I think we’re doing a good job all together.”

Wilkey has worked hard to become a known quantity. Just a year later, all eyes were on her on Sunday evening at a near-capacity Woollett Aquatics Center. She was the starting goalie for Huntington Beach Water Polo Club in the championship match of the girls’ 18-and-under platinum division at the USA Water Polo Junior Olympics.

… Continue Reading

Manderino earns All-American honors

Kathryn Manderino

Newport Harbor High product Kathryn Manderino, playing college water polo for Concordia, has been named honorable mention Division I All-American by the Assn. of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches.

Manderino, a sophomore two-meter player, was second on Concordia with 87 goals. Manderino led the Eagles with 45 ejectons drawn.

Manderino and teammate Lybov Tchougounova, who was also an honorable mention, are the first All-Americans in Concordia program history. Coach Steve Carrera’s Eagles finished their season 19-20. The 19 wins are also a single-season program record.

Manderino previously attended San Francisco State, which does not have a women’s water polo program.

Breakers get win

The losing streak had reached eight matches, but the Newport Beach Breakers won, 21-14, over Springfield in World Team Tennis action Wednesday night at The Tennis Club Newport Beach.

Newport Beach (4-9) received particularly strong play from its women’s players, Anne Keothavong and Marie-Eve Pelletier. They combined to win in women’s doubles, and Keothavong won in singles.

The Breakers end their season Thursday at 6 p.m., at home against Boston. Tickets are still available.