Arriaga named MVP

Sage Hill School senior Cesar Arriaga, who led the Lightning to a

share of the Academy League boys soccer championship, has been named

Most Valuable Player by the circuit’s coaches.

Arriaga, a goaltender who also sparkled in spot appearances in the

field, is joined on the all-league first team by senior teammates

Julian Smith-Newman, Chris Chiboucas and Kent Kuran, as well as

sophomore Zach Milder.

Arriaga, like Smith-Newman and Chiboucas a first-team all-league

honoree last season, was the Academy League MVP as a sophomore.

Senior Jordan Salinger, along with freshmen Conrad Whitaker and

Alex Edelstein, represent Sage Hill on the second team.

Salinger and Kuran, were second-team all-league choices in 2003.

Sage Hill Coach Noureddine El Alam is the league Coach of the

Year, after guiding the Lightning to an 11-7 record.

Sage Hill earned the No. 4 seed in the CIF Southern Section

Division VI playoffs, but was upset in the first round by St.

Bernard, 1-0.

Lightning duo honored

BASKETBALL: Sage Hill High senior Kevin Joyce, the Lightning’s

leading scorer, has been named first-team All-Academy League by the

circuit’s boys basketball coaches.

Joyce is the lone first-team all-league choice from the Lightning,

which finished 10-13, 2-8 in league and missed the CIF Southern

Section playoffs.

Sage Hill junior point guard Matt Loper is a second-team honoree.

St. Margaret’s senior Paul Janczyk is the league’s Most Valuable

Player.

Kim is Lion of Week

* BASKETBALL: Vanguard University sophomore Brian Kim, who

averaged 24.5 points in men’s basketball games Feb. 24 and Feb. 26,

was named Lion of the Week for the week ending Feb. 29.

The 6-foot-4 guard, a transfer from Portland, scored a career-high

37 in a Feb. 24 win over Christian Heritage, then scored 22 in a loss

to Azusa Pacific Feb. 26.

He was 20 for 37 from the field (54.1%) and 10 of 20 from

three-point range in the two games.

Anteaters edge Lions

* TENNIS: UC Irvine junior Anna Bentzer and senior teammate

Tiffany Chang won at Nos. 1 and 2 singles, respectively, and also

teamed for a doubles victory as the Anteaters defeated nonconference

women’s tennis visitor Columbia Sunday, 4-3.

Hui Leow, at No. 3 singles, and Kristina Boss at No. 4, also won

their sets to help the Anteaters improve to 7-5.

UCI meets Marshall Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. at Anteater Tennis

Stadium.

Sea Kings finish eighth

* VOLLEYBALL: The Corona del Mar High boys volleyball team

finished eighth at the Francis Parker Tournament of Champions,

completed Saturday at University of San Diego High.

The Sea Kings defeated Marina, 22-25, 25-13, 15-13, to open

championship playoff action Saturday morning, but then lost to Long

Beach Wilson, 25-22, 25-19, in the quarterfinals.

CdM closed out with a 23-25, 25-19, 15-11 loss to San Clemente.

Setter Dominic Rubino totaled 74 assists in the three matches to

pace the Sea Kings, who are now 5-2.

Tom Welch had 11 kills and brother Kevin nine in the win over

Marina.

Against Long Beach Wilson, Tom and Kevin Welch had seven kills

apiece, while Austin Brawner and Jake Cancellieri also played well.

Kevin Welch had a team-high nine kills against San Clemente.

UCI wins a two games

* WATER POLO: The UC Irvine women’s water polo team won both of

its matches to conclude play Saturday at the two-day Lancer

invitational at Cal Baptist University in Riverside.

The Anteaters topped Cal Baptist, 7-5, and also defeated Redlands,

8-4.

UCI’s Aleah Amr, Erica Horman and Robin Kaake had two goals apiece

against Cal Baptist.

Melissa Fernandez had a game-high four goals against Redlands,

while Horman added three goals.