EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS

Bryce Alderton

Second-year athletic director at Sage Hill School Nate Miller links

winning to continuity.

And while he would like to have the assurance that each coach who

comes to the school that sits on a hill overlooking Newport Coast

will remain, he knows some will leave for other opportunities. But

Miller, a 33-year-old Corona del Mar resident, is happy right where

he is: at a school that saw 33 of its 350 students graduate in early

June, leaving much room for future students and athletes to make

their mark for the Lightning.

Turns out his head coaches are too. At of the beginning of June,

none had resigned, giving Miller hope that winning traditions can be

built in several, if not all, boys sports.

Take the boys basketball team, which has had three coaches in

three years. Steve Keith, already an accomplished coach in the prep

ranks, guided this year’s team (10-13) to the second round of the CIF

Southern Section Division V playoffs, earning third place in the

Academy League. Senior Michael Fitzhugh and junior Kevin Joyce each

were first-team all-league selections.

The boys tennis (8-7, 7-3 in league) and baseball teams (13-8,

9-6), headed by A.G. Longoria and Bert Emerson, respectively, each

went 1-1 in the CIF playoffs while placing third in league, along

with boys soccer (8-5-5, 3-3-4).

Emerson, a first-year coach at Sage who taught English at the

school, serves as a model for Miller’s desire to get as many coaches

teaching classes on campus as possible.

“As a teacher, he is well respected and possesses great talent as

a coach, as well,” Miller said of Emerson. “It is great to find a

respected teacher who can also coach to be able to show more

attention to the students throughout the day.”

Emerson got the most out of the Lightning, who went just 1-14 the

previous season. Senior Zack Friedrichs and junior Tim Wilkins were

both named first-team all-league while each gained recognition as

members of the Newport-Mesa Dream Team. Friedrichs, who played four

varsity sports (football, baseball, soccer and basketball) during his

four years, was also honored with the school’s and Academy League’s

Male Athlete of the Year awards.

Of Sage’s 18 varsity coaches, eight are walk-ons.

“Continuity in programs is key,” Miller said. “It is difficult for

the kids to have to start from scratch every year. I would love to

see [coaches] stay here as long as they are happy.”

Longoria has been at the helm of the school’s boys and girls

tennis teams from the beginning and Miller expects nothing but

continued ascent for that program. Eric Burton and Tristan Cordier

each made first-team all-league while Greg Solodko earned second-team

accolades.

Spring also saw the rise of the Sage’s boys volleyball team, which

placed fourth in league (8-8, 6-8) and featured all-league first-team

honoree in junior outside hitter Kevin Joyce. Juniors Macsun

Frederick and Julian Smith-Newman, co-captain of Sage along with

Joyce, claimed second-team all-league laurels for Merja

Connelly-Freund’s squad.

Sage’s shotput and discus standout Braden Barnett qualified for

the CIF Division IV finals in those events while being named the

league’s Most Valuable Player. He was a first-team all-league

selection for the team coached by Miller which only had eight

athletes.

Sage placed fourth in league, but was missing one of its top

runners in Zach Chandy for eight weeks when he broke his leg at the

beginning of the season.

“[Chandy] is our middle-distance guy, running the 400 and 800

[meters],” Miller said. “He is certainly someone you will hear about

in the future.”

Chandy and teammate Chris Chiboucas each earned second-team

all-league honors for Sage’s cross country team which finished fourth

in the circuit (3-5, 2-3).

Boys water polo went 7-11 while football wrapped up its first

varsity season with a fourth-place finish in league (3-7, 0-3).

“It has taken football longer to develop, but we had a successful

first varsity season,” Miller said. “The five senior leaders were the

corps of the team with a lot of freshmen and sophomores. The growth

potential is there, but there will always be a challenge in the

Academy League.”

As for the field, Miller said he wants to add more bleachers, but

when it came to lights, he said that might be stretching it.

“Lights would help with practices in the winter, but they are not

a priority,” Miller said. “It may not ever be ‘Friday night

football.’ The clear priority is academics and that makes us

different than other schools.”

Miller, who worked with Amy Ray and Steve Wishek in the athletic

office this past season, also teaches a calculus class. Ray, a

physical education instructor, coached the girls soccer team while

Wishek assisted Emerson with the baseball team. Wishek is leaving the

school, however, to take a teaching position at Webb School.

“It was definitely helpful to have them,” Miller said.

Boys golf won all five of its league matches to place fifth for

Coach Eric Gnagy. Josh Chen earned second-team all-league honors

while Alex Cochran was an honorable mention. Swimming went 1-7.

“We are going to continue to get a lot of talented players,”

Miller said.

Just don’t expect a monumental surge in applicants knocking at the

admissions office door.

“We are still in the stage where a lot of people haven’t heard

about us because we are so new,” Miller said.

But Miller expects the school to grow, to as much as 500 in five

years.

Though still young, Sage’s athletic teams will continue striving

toward the peak and beyond. The path blazed so far has been a

successful one, Miller said.

“Seven different teams qualified for the [CIF] playoffs last year,

so that definitely exceeded expectations.”