Newport Beach Teenager Advances at USTA Event

Brandis Braverman of Newport Beach reached the semifinals of the USTA National girls’ 18 singles tennis competition Thursday in San Jose with a 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (4-7), 6-2 victory over Holly Parkinson of Houston.

Braverman faces top-seeded Lilia Osterloh of Canal Winchester, Ohio, in a semifinal today. In the third round, Braverman defeated Villa Park’s Faye DeVera in three sets. Braverman, 16, attends the Bridges to Learning Academy in Encino.

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Several Orange County teams advanced to today’s quarterfinals of the National Junior Olympic water polo championships in San Jose.

Orange Regional Competitive Aquatics advanced in the 17-and-under bracket by beating Anaheim-based East, 11-4. Tony Grosso scored four goals and Steve Ferguson had 11 saves for ORCA. Colin Shaughnessy scored six goals in SoCal A’s 20-5 victory over Commerce, 20-5. SoCal A also beat St. Louis, 5-2. Golden West also advanced.

ORCA’s 15-and-under team beat SoCal B, 14-4, and will play SoCal A today in the quarterfinals.

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Two county divers took the top spots in one-meter competition in the 14-15 age group at the U.S. Junior National Championships at Coral Springs, Fla. Erica Sorgi of the Mission Viejo Nadadores won the event with 430 points, and Kristen Marquis of San Juan Capistrano was second with 409.

Sorgi, 14, leads after the preliminaries of the girls’ 14-15 platform event (392.35 points). Marquis is second with 389.65 points. Teammate Michael Hilde is seventh in the boys’ 13-under three-meter springboard. The top 12 divers advance to today’s final.

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Kerry O’Bric, a June graduate of Edison High, was honored in Sacramento by the California Legislature as part of the CIF Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards day.

O’Bric, The Times Orange County girls’ track and field athlete of the year, was among 22 student-athletes honored. She will receive a $2,000 scholarship.

O’Bric, who maintained a 4.2 grade-point average, will attend Baylor this fall on a track scholarship.

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Matt Davenport, a kicker at Saddleback College last season, has accepted a scholarship to attend Wisconsin. Davenport, a Capistrano Valley Christian High graduate, was successful on all 19 point-after-touchdown conversions, and was 13 of 21 on field-goal attempts at Saddleback.