Peirsol tops the list

Jan. 2, 2003 12 AM PT

The top 25 Newport-Mesa sports stories of 2002, as selected by the

Daily Pilot sports staff:

1 Aaron Peirsol, king of the backstroke -- Within a six-month span

that included his graduation from Newport Harbor High, the 2000

Olympic silver medalist broke four swimming world records and upped

his collection of national titles to seven, while also leading the

Sailors to the program’s first CIF Southern Section Division I team

crown.

At the long course national championships in Minneapolis in March,

he set a world record (1:55.15) in the 200-meter backstroke, making

good on a promise made to his parents at age 7 that he would,

someday, break a world record.

“It puts him in a class of his own,” said Lenny Krayzelburg, who

won Olympic gold in the 200 back in Sydney and held the previous

world record of 1:55.87. “I thought my time was impressive, but

(Peirsol’s) time is just out there.”

Peirsol also won the 100 back at the same meet and helped the

Irvine Novaquatics club team win the 800 freestyle relay to give him

five career national titles.

He broke the short course world record in the 200 back (1:51.17 in

a 25-meter pool) at the short course world championships in Russia in

April, when he also contributed to a world-record time of 3:29.0 in

the 400 medley relay.

In May, he won two individual events and swam on two winning free

relays to help Harbor win the CIF Division I crown. He finished his

prep career with seven CIF individual championships, including four

straight in the 100-yard back.

He defeated Krayzelburg in the 200-meter back at the Janet Evans

Invitational at USC in July, their first meeting since Sydney, then

did the same in the 200 back at the national championships in August

to earn his seventh national title.

His leadoff (backstroke) leg helped the U.S. set a world record in

the 400 medley relay at the Pan Pacific Championships in Japan in

August. He also won the 100 and 200 back at the meet.

Just days after his collegiate debut at No. 1-ranked Texas, the

19-year-old was named Big 12 Conference Swimmer of the Month and is

currently helping the Longhorns prepare for the Big 12 (Feb. 19-22)

and NCAA (March 27-29) championships, both of which will be held at

the Longhorns’ pool.

2 UCI men’s basketball -- With its second straight Big West

Conference regular-season title and back-to-back 20-win seasons, both

firsts in program history, Coach Pat Douglass continued to generate

community pride and interest in the school’s marquee athletic team.

Attendance at Bren Events Center nearly doubled in two seasons.

After barely missing an upset at UCLA, a 75-74 loss in

mid-December, the Anteaters, led by senior guard Jerry Green, then

won eight straight and 12 of their next 14, on the way to capturing

the Big West crown.

After a 66-61 semifinal loss to UC Santa Barbara in the Big West

Tournament, the Anteaters failed to receive an at-large berth in the

NCAA Tournament and lost in the first round of the National

Invitation Tournament at BYU to finish 21-11.

3 Jerry Green’s legacy -- The 6-foot-3 guard out of Pomona entered

the 2001 NBA draft, but elected to return to school. Neither he, UCI,

nor those fortunate enough to witness his brilliant swan song

campaign were disappointed.

He was named Big West Player of the Year for the second straight

season and with 651 points in 32 games (a 20.3 average) became UCI’s

career scoring leader with 1,993 points, 204 better than the standard

set by Tod Murphy from 1982-86.

He received honorable mention on the Associated Press All-American

selections for a second straight year and his school career records

include field goals made (672), free throws made (553), steals (162)

and career starts (116). His 412 career assists rank No. 3 at UCI.

His buzzer-beating 12-foot jumper, one of many game-winning shots

he hit during his distinguished career, gave UCI a 67-66 win at Utah

State, ending the Aggies’ 31-game home winning streak.

Ineligible for the 2002 NBA draft, he signed to play

professionally in Germany.

“He basically turned this program around,” Douglass said.

4 Hale Irwin wins Toshiba Senior Classic -- The 56-year-old

becomes the 8-year-old event’s first two-time champion by posting an

event-record 17-under-par 196 to win by an event-record five strokes.

Irwin, who pocketed $225,000, became the all-time leading money

winner on the PGA Senior Tour (more than $14.6 million) and claimed

his 34th Senior Tour title, a list that includes the 1998 Toshiba

Senior Classic.

Allen Doyle was second to earn his fourth straight top-three

finish in the event, while Dave Stockton and Michael Zinni tied for

third, one stroke behind Doyle.

The event became the first in Senior Tour history to raise at

least $1 million for charity in three consecutive years.

5 Dan Guerrero leaves UCI -- After more than nine years as the

Anteaters Athletic Director, during which time he administered to

great success and much innovation, Guerrero resigned to accept the

same job at UCLA, his alma mater.

Before taking over with the Bruins, for whom he played baseball,

he was named Athletic Director of the Year in the West Region by the

National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.

During his UCI tenure, the school added baseball, women’s water

polo, golf and indoor track and field.

Guerrero also reestablished the UC Irvine Athletic Hall of Fame

and initiated academic support and Life Skills programs, as well as

the varsity club and a community and youth programs division.

In addition to $38 million dollars of improvements to facilities

during his final five years, his reign included more than 40

All-Americans, 10 academic All-Americans and 334 all-conference

honorees.

UCI later hired Bob Chichester, a senior associate athletic

director at the University of Colorado, to replace Guerrero.

6 Legendary Dave Grant retires -- After 38 seasons as the Orange

Coast College crew coach, the school’s former president rowed off

into the sunset with numerous individual honors and the respect and

friendship of hundreds of his former oarsmen.

Grant’s rowers won 80% of their races against some of the top

four-year programs in the nation and also competed in England,

Ireland, China and Canada.

A member of the National Sailing Hall of Fame, he was also an

assistant U.S. crew coach at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and was

granted membership to the Leander Club in Henley-on-Thames, England,

after guiding the Pirates in their 10th Henley Royal Regatta.

He began on the OCC faculty in 1963, served as assistant dean of

students (1964-74), dean of students (1976-86) and director of marine

programs, facilities and services (1986-89), before serving as the

school’s sixth president from 1989-95. He was 63 at the time of his

retirement.

7 Sharon Day wins state title -- A three-time CIF Southern Section

Division III high jump champion, this Costa Mesa High standout, then

a junior, cleared a personal-best 5-11 to win the state crown, June 1

before 10,751 at Cerritos College.

She cleared 5-3, 5-5, 5-7 and 5-9 on her first attempt, before

making the winning height on her second attempt.

Also a soccer and volleyball standout, the talented 5-7 star’s

state crown strengthened the argument of many who believe she is the

best female athlete in school history.

8 CIF team champions -- Newport Harbor boys swimming (Division I),

Corona del Mar girls water polo (Division IV) and Newport Harbor

girls volleyball (Division II-AA) claimed Southern Section titles.

CdM water polo defeated El Dorado, 11-6, in the championship

contest Feb. 23 at Belmont Plaza, to complete a 24-9 season. Coach

Aaron Chaney’s squad was led by Division IV Player of the Year

Christina Hewko, as well as All-CIF honorees Danielle Carlson,

Brittney Bowlus, Daniela DiGiacomo, Jessica Fries, Alexa Miller and

Jessica Wells.

Senior middle blocker Kristin McClune paced Coach Dan Glenn’s

Sailors, earning CIF Division II Co-Player of the Year laurels.

Alyson Jennings also earned All-CIF honors to help the Tars finish

28-7.

Aaron Peirsol, Ryan Lean, Andrew Cole, Nathan Weiner and Michael

Bury were key to Coach Jason Lynch’s unprecedented Sailor Division I

boys swim triumph, May 10 at Belmont Plaza.

9 CIF individual champions -- Newport Harbor’s Aaron Peirsol (see

No. 1) and Costa Mesa’s Sharon Day (see No. 7) were among several

Southern Section title winners from Newport-Mesa.

Corona del Mar senior distance runner Julie Allen won Division III

titles in the 3,200 meters and the 1,600 in May, while Newport Harbor

swimmer Andrew Cole won the Division I crown in the 100-yard

freestyle.

CdM heavyweight wrestler Steven Russell was a CIF champion in

Division III, while CdM doubles teams Garrett Snyder and Carsten Ball

(boys) as well as Taylynn Snyder and Brittany Holland (girls) also

topped the section field in tennis.

Peirsol, Cole and Ryan Lean were also on CIF champion freestyle

relay teams for the Sailors. The 200-yard quartet included Michael

Bury and the 400 included Nathan Weiner.

10 Tim O’Brien sidelined -- The former Estancia High and Orange

Coast College basketball coach, preparing for his fourth season at

Northwood High in Irvine, was forced to relinquish his duties while

recovering from emergency surgery to repair damage to his aorta in

late-October.

O’Brien, who guided the Estancia boys to the CIF State Division

III title in 1991 during a five-year term, which he followed with

seven seasons guiding the OCC men, has since returned to the bench

for the Timberwolves.

11 Fall NCAA title haul -- NCAA champions in men’s soccer, women’s

volleyball and men’s water polo all had local contributors.

Former Newport Harbor star Zach Wells was a standout goalie for

men’s soccer winner UCLA, while former Sailor April Ross was a

stalwart for the USC women’s volleyball champions.

Stanford, with former CdM head coach John Vargas at the helm, won

the NCAA men’s water polo crown. The Cardinal was also bolstered by

assistant coach Brian Kreutzkamp, a former prep coach at Costa Mesa

and Newport Harbor.

12 UCI baseball revival -- After a 10-year hiatus, the Anteaters,

without a single player with previous Division I experience, posted

the fifth-highest win total (33-26) in the program’s 24 seasons.

Coach John Savage’s squad, which played in the brand new Anteater

Ballpark, finished tied with perennial power Cal State Fullerton for

fourth in the Big West Conference (14-10). UCI’s victories included

those over Pac-10 champion USC, as well as UCLA, Cal and BYU.

13 Prep football fizzles -- Despite an unprecedented perfect

league season by Costa Mesa, which claimed only the school’s second

outright league crown in its 43-season varsity history, no

Newport-Mesa squad won a CIF Southern Section playoff game, for the

first time since 1998.

Mesa (8-3), Newport Harbor (7-4) and Corona del Mar (6-5) posted

winning records, but Estancia lost its last nine to finish 1-9 and

Sage Hill’s first varsity season ended with five straight losses and

a 3-7 mark.

14 Laird Hayes on Super stage -- The Orange Coast College men’s

soccer coach and Newport Beach resident, 52, was among seven

officials selected on merit to work Super Bowl XXXVI, Jan. 3 in New

Orleans.

The honor capped Hayes’ seventh season as an NFL side judge.

15 ‘Golden’ releaguing opportunity -- Shifted from the Pacific

Coast to the Golden West League, Costa Mesa won unprecedented league

titles in girls tennis and girls volleyball, while football completed

its first unbeaten league campaign to claim the program’s second

outright league crown.

Both Costa Mesa and Estancia are expected to continue to enjoy

much brighter athletic horizons in the seven-team league that

includes Ocean View, Orange, Saddleback, Santa Ana and Westminster.

16 Local golf champions -- Marianne Towersey, less than two months

after winning the California senior women’s amateur championships,

won Tea Cup Classic VI, her fourth Tea Cup title in five years.

Towersey, representing the Santa Ana Country Club, shot 2-over-par

74 on her home course Sept. 4, one shot better than Olivia Slutzky

(Big Canyon Country Club) and two better than Akemi Khaiat (Mesa

Verde Country Club) to win in the most compelling Tea Cup finish to

date.

Big Canyon Director of Golf Bob Lovejoy and men’s champion Danny

Lane teamed to win the Jones Cup III men’s better ball partners event

July 26 at Big Canyon.

17 Six diamond stars drafted -- Matt Clanton, kicked off the

Orange Coast College team in his sophomore season, was drafted 38th

overall as a pitcher by the Chicago Cubs to top six local players

picked in the first 11 rounds of the Major League first-year player

draft.

Clanton, OCC freshman shortstop Donnie Murphy (138th overall by the Kansas City Royals), Vanguard University senior first baseman

Chad Chop (167th by the Montreal Expos), UC Irvine junior pitcher

Sean Tracey (240th by the Chicago White Sox), OCC sophomore pitcher

Justin Azze (287th by the Expos) and UCI junior catcher Chris Miller

(333rd by the Cubs) were also selected.

All but Azze (now at Hawaii) signed and began their professional

careers.

18 CIF players of the year -- Corona del Mar High’s Christina

Hewko captured CIF Southern Section Division IV Player of the Year

honors in girls water polo after leading the Sea Kings to the section

crown in her junior season.

Kristin McClune also led Newport Harbor to a section title in

Division II-AA girls volleyball and the Pepperdine-bound senior

shared CIF Division II Player of the Year laurels.

19 Newport-Mesa soccer surge -- The Corona del Mar High girls

program won its third straight Pacific Coast League crown and

advanced to a third straight CIF Southern Section Division IV

semifinal, while Costa Mesa boys repeated as PCL champion.

Newport Harbor’s girls made their most successful postseason run

in history (CIF Division II quarterfinals), while the Costa Mesa

girls posted the program’s first postseason victory.

Newport Harbor boys won a playoff game and the Sage Hill boys team

made the CIF Playoffs in its first varsity season.

Also a symbol of the area’s increased soccer presence, the third

annual Pilot Cup youth tournament featured nearly 1,500 kids on 86 teams, representing 25 Newport-Mesa public and private schools.

20Eddie Johnson’s feat of foot -- The Newport Harbor High and

Orange Coast College product, a senior punter at Idaho State, set an

NCAA Division I-AA single-game record by averaging 61.5 yards on

punts of 80, 51, 49, 52, 67 and 70 yards. The NFL prospect finished

the season with a 46.2-yard average on 51 punts, fourth-best

nationally in Division I-AA.

21 OCC state title quests -- Sophomore Michelle Icban won the

individual title to pace the Pirates to back-to-back team crowns at

the California Community College Cross Country Championships April 27

in Fresno. Icban’s 17:56 clocking over the three-mile course was

eight seconds faster than the runner-up and helped OCC win its sixth

state women’s crown in seven seasons.

The OCC men’s volleyball team lost in the state championship

match, as L.A. Pierce won in four games to hand the Pirates their

first loss in 23 contests.

22 Keola Asuega runs to record -- Costa Mesa High’s senior running

back scored 21 touchdowns to up his three-year varsity total to 49,

breaking the previous Newport-Mesa career record held by former

Newport Harbor star Steve Brazas (45 TDs from 1982-82). The Daily

Pilot Newport-Mesa MVP’s 3,932 career rushing yards rank No. 2 in

Newport-Mesa annals, behind only former Mustang Binh Tran’s 4,333

from 1991-93.

23 Sage hire for Lightning -- Sage Hill hired Steve Keith, who won

367 games in 22 combined seasons at Irvine High and Glendale High, to

guide the school’s boys basketball program.

Keith was one of Orange County’s most respected coaches when he

stepped down at Irvine following the 1998-99 season.

24 Senior national champions -- The Newport Water Polo Foundation,

coached by UCI head man Ted Newland and led by UCI All-American Jeff

Powers and fellow national team member Ryan Bailey, won the U.S.

senior nationals Aug. 4 at Corona del Mar High.

Newport defeated the New York Athletic Club, 8-5, in the title

game, after slipping past a Stanford squad coached by former CdM High

head man John Vargas, 10-9, in an overtime semifinal earlier in the

day.

Powers (five goals in the final) and Bailey (two) shared the

tournament’s outstanding player recognition.

25 New CIF playoff groupings -- Southern Section legislation that

emphasized competitive equity over enrollment when grouping schools

for section playoffs, was greeted enthusiastically by Newport-Mesa

coaches in several sports.

The move allows Newport Harbor and Corona del Mar to enjoy the

challenge of stronger playoff competition, while increasing the

chances of postseason success for Estancia and Costa Mesa.

Peirsol tops the list

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