Hewko, Bowlus sign letters with Stanford, UCLA

Richard Dunn

Corona del Mar High girls water polo standouts Christina Hewko and

Brittney Bowlus have signed national letters of intent with Stanford

and UCLA, respectively, CdM Coach Aaron Cheney said Friday.

Both players were first-team All-CIF Southern Section Division IV

selections as juniors last season when Cheney’s Sea Kings finished

24-7 and captured the CIF Division IV championship. CdM, which also

won the Pacific Coast League last season, defeated El Dorado, 11-6,

in the CIF Division IV championship game at Belmont Plaza.

The Sea Kings, who return all four of their first-team All-CIF

players, will compete in CIF Division II this season. They start the

campaign in the water Monday.

Hewko, who also considered UCLA, Cal, USC and Loyola Marymount,

was the CIF Division IV Player of the Year last season. She’s a

member of the U.S. youth national team.

“She’ll set, she’ll drive, she’ll guard two meters, she’ll

counterattack and she’ll shoot from the outside -- she’ll do it all,”

Cheney said of Hewko. “She also sprints to the ball every quarter.

She’s a workhorse. She works very hard and plays very hard.”

Hewko, the team’s three-time MVP, will play for Stanford women’s

water polo coach John Tanner next fall.

Bowlus, who verbally committed to UCLA last month, was thrilled

when she finally received her letter of intent in the mail Friday,

Cheney said.

Two other returning first-team All-CIF Division IV players from

CdM, Danielle Carlson and Daniela DiGiacomo, are also being

recruited, Cheney said. Stanford and Princeton are on Carlson’s list,

while Cal is recruiting DiGiacomo. CdM’s Jessica Harkins is being

recruited by Princeton.