Girls water polo: Eagles soar beyond past
Steve Virgen
COSTA MESA - Whatever happened last year does not concern
first-year Estancia High girls water polo coach Bob Bandaruk. The Eagles
lost their coach, Michelle Spanley, before the season ended last year
because of disagreements between the players and the coach. The Eagles
were also winless in the Pacific Coast League.
However, with Estancia in its last season in the PCL, Bandaruk doesn’t
care about the past.
“I don’t know if there’s anything I need to change; I’m just going to
do it my way,” said Bandaruk, who coached the Estancia girls swimming
squad in the spring. “I don’t come in here with the knowledge of the
past. I’m going to enforce my rules.”
The Estancia coach, who also heads the Splash swim club in Costa Mesa,
simply asks for commitment, something he plans to show by example. Before
the season started, he asked a few players to choose between water polo
and cheerleading because they could not have both, not under Bandaruk.
“They need to be here,” he said. “They need to attend and put in the
effort. If they don’t want to, they don’t need to because they won’t
play. We have had a decent turnout so far. The pool put us behind a bit.”
Estancia’s pool was out of service due to mechanical problems, so the
Eagles used Costa Mesa’s pool. But the situation did not totally hinder
the Eagles’ progress. They opened with a 17-1 nonleague win over Bolsa
Grande Thursday, when senior Diana Kopasek led with five goals.
Kopasek, along with fellow senior Lauren Collier, have stepped up to
the role as leaders in the team’s practices, Bandaruk said.
In addition, the team features versatility, which come from
three-sport athletes, twin sisters Hanni and Jasmine Geider, both
seniors.
Juniors Laura Morton, who also played volleyball, Wendy Murillo,
Lihini Keenawinna, Jessica Fernandez, Jayme Fay, Lauren Calderon, Sara
Elizabeth Anaruma and Sarah Ahmed are focused on gaining the most out of
this season in preparation for the Golden West League next year.
ESTANCIA HIGH GIRLS WATER POLO
Sarah Ahmed Jr.
Sara Elizabeth Anaruma Jr.
Lauren Calderon Jr.
Lauren Collier Sr.
Jayme Fay Jr.
Jessica Fernandez Jr.
Courtney Fletcher Fr.
Hanni Geider Sr.
Jasmine Geider Sr.
Malinda Hallock Fr.
Magen Hunt Sr.
Lihini Keenawinna Jr.
Diana Kopasek Sr.
Hillary Larsen Fr.
Laura Morton Jr.
Wendy Murillo Jr.
Jennifer Patton Sr.
Britta Pitti So.
Marilyn Reich So.
Stephanie Reid Jr.
Farrell Roth So.
Coach Bob Bandaruk
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