CdM girls earn five CIF title banners

The Corona del Mar High girls’ water polo team was so good this season, the CIF Southern Section Division II playoffs were completely void of drama.

During the regular season, the Sea Kings had to jump in the pool against the top teams in CIF Division I in order to get challenged on a regular basis.

Still, Coach Aaron Chaney’s squad finished 28-3 and beat every team it played at least once. Included on that list were CIF Division I finalists Newport Harbor and Montebello and CIF Division I semifinalist Foothill ? the three teams that also handed Corona del Mar losses.

The Sea Kings went undefeated in the Pacific Coast League at 5-0 and won 21 of their last 22 games.

During the Division II playoffs, Corona del Mar outscored its opponents, 57-13, and swam away with an 11-4 victory over Villa Park in the CIF title game to capture its fifth consecutive Southern Section championship.

Senior goalkeeper Tumua Anae had 12 saves in three periods and senior two-meter set Camille Hewko led the offense with three goals against Villa Park.

In his five years at the helm, Chaney is 20-0 in playoff games.

Anae and senior Ashley Chandler, as well as juniors Katie Indvik, Sarah Hutchison and Cari Levine, played big roles for the Sea Kings. But Hewko stood tallest, drawing double teams and acting as the team’s fearless leader.

Hewko tallied 60 goals and 30 assists and was voted the Most Valuable Player of the Santa Barbara Tournament, the Southern California Tournament and the Pacific Coast League. She also was named the CIF Southern Section Division II Co-Player of the Year with teammate Anae and was the Newport-Mesa Player of the Year.

The UC Davis-bound Chandler, considered one of the best two-meter defenders in Orange County, was a first-team All-Pacific Coast League and All-CIF Division II pick.

The USC-bound Anae was also named Pacific Coast League Goalkeeper of the Year.

Indvik was a first-team all-league honoree, while Levine and Sarah Hutchison were second-team selections for the Sea Kings.

Chandler, Indvik, Levine and Hutchison were first-team All-CIF selections, while Chelsea Lyman and Taylor Harkins were second-team picks.

Chaney was named CIF Division II Coach of the Year.

Cross country: The team claimed its fourth CIF State Division III championship.

The Sea Kings were led by senior Annie St. Geme, who posted the second-best overall time (17 minutes, 20 seconds) in the state meet at Woodward Park in Fresno, while winning the CIF Division III individual crown.

Only Mission Prep’s Jordan Hasay (17:11 in Division V) was faster at the state meet.

Considered a heavy favorite, the Sea Kings only edged second-place finisher Oak Park, 47-53, but junior Sarah Cummings was slowed by illness.

The usual No. 2 runner for CdM, Cummings finished fifth among her teammates and 22nd overall. But her finish was good enough to help give the school its first girls’ state title since 2000.

Earlier in the season, Coach Bill Sumner’s squad set the Woodward Park course record in the Clovis Invitational with a combined time of 91:21, then was named the No. 1 team in the nation in the Nike/Footlocker Super 25 high school poll.

Other key runners for the Sea Kings were sophomores Shelby Buckley (fifth in 18:20 at the state meet), Allison Damon (eighth in 18:31) and junior Nichole Slykhous (16th in 18:46).

The Sea Kings also successfully defended their CIF Southern Section Division III title, setting a course record in 89:42 at Mt. SAC.

St. Geme blazed the course in a lifetime-best 16:51, good for a Southern Section all-division postseason course record.

Cummings (17:55) finished second, and Buckley (18:06) and Damon (18:12) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

Slykhaus (10th in 18:38) rounded out CdM’s top five.

The Sea Kings notched a perfect score of 15 in the Pacific Coast League cross country finals at Irvine Regional Park.

Swimming: A year ago, the Sea Kings finished second behind University in both the Pacific Coast League and the CIF Division II championship meet.

Taking a backseat to University last year served as inspiration this season, as the Sea Kings reclaimed league and section titles.

After losing to University by four points in last year’s CIF Division II finals, the Sea Kings came back and beat University more handily, 248-216, in this year’s finals at Belmont Plaza Pool in Long Beach.

Junior Stephanie Gabert led the way by winning both the 200-yard individual medley and the 100 breaststroke.

Senior Lexie Shue, was third in the 500 freestyle (4:57.08) and seventh in the 200 free (1:55.53).

Senior Ashley Chandler was fifth in the 50 free (24.23) and eighth in the 100 free (53.92) at CIF finals.

CdM also did major damage in three relays in the CIF finals, taking second in the 200 and 400 free relays and fourth in the 200 medley relay.

Gabert, Tumua Anae, Shue, Chandler and Sarah Furgatch each swam on two of the relays. Kelsey Larson and Katie Indvik each swam on one.

All three relay teams advanced to the inaugural CIF Masters Meet, comprised of teams from all Southern Section divisions.

In the Masters Meet, Gabert was first in the 100 breaststroke (1:04.08), and second in the 200 IM (2:04.34).

Shue was fourth in the 500 free (4:59.14).

Also, the foursome of Anae, Shue, Chandler and Gabert were second in the 200 free relay.

Chandler, Shue, Gabert and Furgatch were third in the 400 free relay in the Masters Meet.

Track and field: A year after having to settle for a CIF Southern Section Division III co-championship, CdM won the title outright in 2006, amassing 70 points, 12 better than runner-up Muir.

Senior Annie St. Geme led the way by winning the 800 meters, the 1,600 and the 3,200 at the CIF Division III finals.

In the 3,200, St. Geme pulled away from contenders Nicole Blood of Royal and Christy Adamyk of Glendora down the stretch.

Shelby Buckley was second in the 1,600 and Tiffany Liu was second in the triple jump (37-1).

Liu was also fourth in the long jump with a personal best of 17-4 1/4 .

St. Geme had a relatively disappointing state final, finishing fourth in the 1,600 after winning the event in 2005. She then came back with a solid second-place finish in the 3,200.

St. Geme set the pace in the 1,600 before falling a step behind Oak Ridge’s Alex Kosinski going into the last lap. Down the stretch, St. Geme’s pace slowed down considerably. In the last 100 meters, she was passed up by eventual winner Christine Babcock of Woodbridge, and two others.

Coach Bill Sumner’s Sea Kings went undefeated in the Pacific Coast League and won the league finals, sending 14 qualifiers to CIF.

St. Geme and Liu won three events at league finals to help secure the program’s fourth consecutive league championship.

St. Geme also set three records in the Orange County Track and Field Championships at Trabuco Hills High. She set meet records in the 800 (2:10.47), 1,600 (4:50.66) and 3,200 (10:25.04).

Golf: Senior Katie McKitterick led the Sea Kings, who placed four players in the top 12 at Pacific Coast League finals for the first time in school history.

McKitterick had a two-day-league-finals total of 116 and qualified for the CIF Southern Section individual tournament.

McKitterick and junior Jonna Kim, who carded a two-day total of 128, were first-team All-Pacific Coast League selections, while Michelle Drucker (133) and Jessica Milner (134) captured second-team all-league laurels for Coach Mike Starkweather.

McKitterick shot an eight-over-par 80 to lead Corona del Mar to a fifth-place finish at the CIF Southern Divisional at El Prado Golf Course.

Kim (82), Milner and Courtney Wright (85) and Kelly Kawata (86) also scored at the divisional.

The Sea Kings were three strokes shy of advancing to the CIF finals, despite shooting the lowest score in school history in CIF play.

CdM also was named academic team champion for the 2005-06 school year by the CIF State office. The Sea Kings posted a team grade-point average of 3.88 to top the rest of the girls’ golf programs in the state.

Tennis: Though playing without junior Jill Damion for the entire regular season, the Sea Kings still put together an impressive campaign.

They were 20-4, 9-1 in league, won the Pacific Coast League title and reached the CIF Southern Section Division I semifinals.

The Sea Kings defeated Harvard-Westlake, 11-7, in the quarterfinals behind a doubles sweep by juniors Haley and Miranda Young.

They fell to Peninsula, 12-6, in the semifinals.

Damion was still not fully recovered when she gave it a go in doubles with partner Lindsey Norman in the semifinals against Peninsula. Damion had to serve underhanded and her presence wasn’t enough to lift the Sea Kings out of the semifinals, where their season has ended two straight years.

Miranda and Haley Young won two of three sets against Peninsula, but it wasn’t enough.

The Young twins went on to compete in the CIF Southern Section individual tournament, where they reached the doubles quarterfinals by ousting Redlands’ Claudia and Paloma Vazquez, 7-5, 7-5. The were eliminated by Peninsula’s Tania Mahtani and Akane Kitamura, 6-1, 6-3.

Basketball: The Sea Kings seemed to be skating on thin ice all season, but when they finally broke through, it was into the CIF playoffs.

CdM tied for fourth place in the seven-team Pacific Coast League with Calvary Chapel and had to face the Eagles in a one-game playoff for the league’s fourth and final guaranteed postseason berth.

Senior Katie Schulte, who battled injuries all season, netted a team-high 18 points to lead Coach Scott Kawahai’s Sea Kings to a 44-37 win in the fourth-place playoff.

Schulte, who averaged 12 points and five rebounds, was a Daily Pilot Dream Team selection for the second time. She was also a second-team All-Pacific Coast League choice.

Schulte scored 13 more points in CdM’s 53-47 loss at Western in the first round of the CIF Division III-AA playoffs.

Teammate Megan Benbow, a senior guard/forward, was also named second-team all-league. Benbow averaged 10 points and four rebounds per game.

The Sea Kings finished 13-12, 7-6 in league.

Soccer: The season reached its peak when the team upset Northwood, ranked No. 1 in CIF Southern Section Division II at the time, 2-0, in a key Pacific Coast League game.

Seniors Taylor Fallon and Phoebe Chang keyed the defensive effort for the Sea Kings, who moved into a first-place tie with Northwood and Tesoro at the time, despite starting the nonleague season with a record of 1-7-1.

In the win over Northwood, Ali Torres and Alex Tobiessen scored goals off assists from Hannah Rollins.

Corona del Mar shook off its rough nonleague season and finished 10-11-1, 9-3 in league.

The Sea Kings fell to Chaparral, 3-1, in the first round of the CIF Division II playoffs.

CdM scored its goal in the 54th minute against Chaparral, when Tobiessen sent a cross to senior Kelly Morgan, who found the back of the net.

Jessica Mazura, a four-year starter and one of the team’s four captains, signed to continue her career at Cal, reuniting her with older sister Alivia Mazura.

Fallon signed with Indiana University.

Chang was named third-team All-CIF Division II.

Fallon and senior Rachel Yelsey were first-team all-league honorees, while Chang and Morgan were second-team picks.

Softball: The Sea Kings finished fourth in the seven-team Pacific Coast League to make the CIF playoffs.

Junior pitcher Michelle Tolfa pitched a complete game, striking out nine batters, in Corona del Mar’s 8-1 victory over University that clinched the postseason berth.

Renee Mycorn was two for three with an RBI in the game.

The Sea Kings finished 14-11, 6-6 in league.

They lost, 8-0, at Gahr in a CIF Southern Section Division IV wild-card game.

Tolfa finished with a 1.50 ERA and a .325 batting average, and was named Newport-Mesa Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.

Tolfa, who led the league with 167 strikeouts in 135 innings, was a first-team all-league and second-team All-CIF Division IV performer.

Tolfa’s season was highlighted by a 14-strikeout, three-hit shutout of Back Bay rival Newport Harbor.

Volleyball: The team had a rare subpar season, finishing with a record under .500 despite standout performances from Juliane Piggot, Kasey Kipp and Kelly Christian.

The Sea Kings started the season 1-8 and concluded it with a four-game loss to Back Bay rival Newport Harbor.

But the team did manage a four-game upset over Pacific Coast League rival Laguna Beach.

Lacrosse: The club team had a 10-7 triumph over Back Bay rival Newport Harbor, thanks to 17 saves by goalkeeper Tiffany Battram in Orange County Lacrosse Assn. action.

The Sea Kings moved to 6-0-1 with the win.