CdM fills coaching vacancy

Corona del Mar High has hired former girls basketball assistant Scott

Kahawai to fill the vacant head coaching position created when James

Barkalow returned to New Jersey after two years at the helm.

Kahawai has been with the Sea Kings since 1999, when he started

out as the assistant coach with the girls team under Elbert Davis,

who left in 2002 to become the boys head coach at Westminster.

Kahawai stayed in that position until last year when he moved over to

assist the boys team.

“He has been instrumental at building our program,” CdM girls

athletic director Dawn Payne said. “He has a good relationship with

the girls and his love and enthusiasm is infectious to the team.”

Kahawai said he is excited to steer the Corona del Mar program

into a winning and well-respected program after what he said were,

“four or five years of no tradition.”

“I want them to have a sense of pride,” he said. “It’s my hope to

stabilize the program.”

The Sea Kings were 19-19 under Barkalow’s guidance and did not

reach the playoffs last year. While Kahawai is optimistic regarding

the future of the girls program, he is realistic about setting

near-future goals.

“Next year is a rebuilding year in order for the girls to get to

know the system,” he said. “I want to run a defense-first philosophy

where the defense creates easy offensive opportunities. I think

that’s a more fun brand of basketball to watch and play.”

Kahawai can use a year to get everyone accustomed to his style of

basketball considering the team is so young. The lone senior on the

team will be guard Sanya Wadhwa with juniors and sophomores filling

out the rest of the roster. He said, Allie Duernberger, who started

at guard last year as a freshman, will be counted on to lead the

team. Kahawai said he will also rely heavily on soon-to-be juniors

Katie Schulte and Megan Benbow at the guard positions and Allison

Long at forward.

“We’re very excited about where we’re headed,” Payne said. “Scott

has good leadership skills and is organized and will move the

basketball program to the next level.”

-- Rick Devereux

Gomez national champion

* TRACK AND FIELD: Zoila Gomez, a former Costa Mesa High and

Orange Coast College runner, capped her collegiate career at Adams

State in Alamosa, Colo., with her sixth individual national title in

the NCAA Division II outdoor track and field championships May 29 at

Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut.

Gomez, a member of Costa Mesa’s 1997 state cross country

championship team, raced to titles in both the 5,000- and

10,000-meter races in the three-day competition that ended with the

Adams State women’s team placing second by four points to Lincoln

University of Missouri.

Gomez, an 11-time All-American, ran the 10,000 in 34 minutes,

16.34 seconds, nearly a minute ahead of teammate Stephanie Bylander

(35:15.63). Gomez ran 16:32.87 in the 5,000.

For her feats, Gomez was named the Division II Runner of the Year.

Michelle Icban, an Adams State freshman and former OCC standout,

placed 10th in both the 5,000 (17:13.98) and 10,000 (36:29.66).

Seniors in showcase

* BASEBALL: Seniors from the Corona del Mar High and Newport

Harbor baseball teams will be competing in the South County Senior

Showcase Saturday at Windrow Park in Irvine.

The Pacific Coast League will take on the South Coast seniors at 1

p.m. The Sea View League, which includes Newport Harbor, will play

against the Century League at 4:30 p.m.

The Sailors will be represented by Brandon Jasper, who was drafted

by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 43rd round Tuesday, as well as Joey

Cantarella and Mike McLean. Newport Coach Joel Desguin will be

assisting the Sea View League squad.

CdM Coach John Emme, who guided the Sea Kings to the CIF Southern

Section Division IV and PCL championships, will be coaching the PCL

seniors, including Blake Contant, Barrett Sprowl, Nik Palchikoff,

Jeritt Thayer, Josh Bradbury and Parker Ferguson.

Todd Macklin was also selected to play, but he opted out to rest

his inflamed right pitching elbow.

Between the two senior showcase games, there will be a home run

derby at around 3:45 p.m. Two players from each league will compete.

Bradbury and Jasper will be among the competitors.

Olympic swim tuneup

* SWIMMING: In a prelude to the Olympic swim trials, Corona del

Mar High freshman Stephanie Gabert will perform in one final tuneup

when she competes in the Janet Evans invitational, which runs today

through Sunday at the Charter All-Digital Aquatic Centre in Long

Beach.

Gabert will compete in the 200-meter breaststroke and 400

individual medley Saturday, and in the 100 breaststroke Sunday.

Former Newport Harbor standout Hayley Peirsol will be in the 800

freestyle, which will also include Corona del Mar sophomore Lexie

Shue, today.

Peirsol’s older brother, Aaron, the world-record holder in the 200

backstroke, will not compete in the meet.

Nicole Mackey, also a former Newport Harbor standout, will compete

in the 200 free.

Gabert, along with Shue, helped lead the CdM girls swim team to

the CIF Southern Section Division II championship this spring. Gabert

qualified for the Olympic swim trials in the 200 breaststroke in 2

minutes, 35.94 at the spring national championships in Orlando, Fla.,

Feb. 11.

She will compete in the Olympic trials, which are at the same Long

Beach venue as this week’s Janet Evans invitational, July 7-14. On

Sunday, Gabert wants to finish under the qualifying standard in the

100 breaststroke, which is 1:12.59. Her fastest time in the event is

1:12.79.

She said she will go to Long Beach today with her coach, Brian

Pajer, to become familiar with the surroundings.

-- Steve Virgen

Pirates finish sixth

* HONORS: On the strength of a sweep of the cross country state

championships in the fall, Orange Coast College finished sixth in the

state’s Commission on Athletics all-sports ranking for the 2003-04

year.

Orange Coast scored 120 points to finish three points behind

Ventura. The OCC women’s track and field team added to the final

total with a third-place finish at state this spring while the men’s

and women’s volleyball and swimming teams all contributed points.

Coast has won the state supremacy award three times, the latest

coming during the 2002-03 year.

A revised format limited scoring to the top five finishes on both

the male and female sides this year.

Sierra College won the supremacy award this year.

NAC rowers strong

* ROWING: The Newport Aquatic Center rowing team brought home two

bronze medals and a fifth-place finish from the United States Rowing

youth invitational regatta at Harsha Lake in Cincinnati, Ohio, which

concluded Sunday.

NAC’s men’s double of Blake Foster (stroke) and Morgan Sabo (bow)

took third in 7:08.21, missing the silver by six tenths of a second.

The women’s lightweight four of Jennifer Guess (coxswain), Jill

Austin (stroke), Ashley Kiley (three seat), Shari Coble (two seat)

and Christina Campbell (bow) took bronze in 7:54.63.

In the petite final, the women’s double of Erica Van Steenis

(stroke) and Laurie Dabney (bow) placed fifth in 8:15.93.

NAC competed against teams from 85 clubs.

To qualify for the national regatta, the NAC rowers had to advance

from the Southwest regional in Sacramento.

The men’s double placed first along with the men’s quad of Foster,

Sabo, Greg Schneider and Greg Sommers. The men’s quad, however, was

unable to participate in the national regatta. The women’s double and

lightweight four teams each took second in Sacramento.

Baseball camps coming

* BASEBALL: Rich Amaral, who played baseball at Estancia High

before his 10-year professional career in the majors, along with

former Orange Coast College players Joe Ronquillo and Bill French,

will lead two four-day sessions of a baseball camp this summer in

Costa Mesa.

The first session will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. July 10, 11, 18

and 25. The second camp is scheduled Aug. 7, 8, 15 and 22.

Field sites have not been determined yet.

Price is $125 per session.

The camps will focus on specialized instruction on fundamentals

and detailed drills for hitters, pitchers and catchers.

Class sizes will be small to facilitate proper instruction.

Parents are encouraged to follow their children through each

station.

Amaral played all positions except pitcher and catcher in a career

with the Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles.

Ronquillo is in his fifth year as an Orange Coast assistant and

was the head coach at both Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach. French

played for Chapman University and has also coached at CdM and Laguna

Beach.

Call (714) 579-1987 for information.

Izadi keys whiffle win

* WHIFFLE BALL: Alidad Izadi went 6 for 7 with four home runs to

lead “Gone Deep” to a 14-13.5 victory over “Wall to Wall” in the

first Whiffle ball all-star game at Corona del Mar High June 3.

Freshman Zack Bonberg hit a grand slam for Wall to Wall during the

seven-inning contest held inside the school’s small gym following

classes.

Blake Allred, Scott Kahkawni, Izadi, who earned player of the game

honors, Bryce Beshore and Sean Maxwell comprised “Gone Deep,” while

Chris Rosen, Bonberg, Austin Elliott, Ryan Lance and Tyler Stepeki

made up Wall to Wall.

Gary Almquist, the game’s organizer, said four teams of five

players each were chosen following three games of pool play earlier

this week. Students in grades 7-12 are eligible to participate.

Players pitch to their own team and batters are allowed two

pitches, but replays are allowed, Almquist said.

Lance and Beshore both made strong defensive plays, Almquist

added.

Jones, Natalizio lauded

* HONORS: Orange Coast College sophomores Ava Jones and Sara

Natalizio, who led the women’s track and field and swimming teams,

respectively, each earned the highest honor in their sports Orange

Empire Conference officials this spring.

Jones was named the conference’s Runner of the Year while

Natalizio earned Swimmer of the Year laurels.

Jones won state championships in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters,

helping lead Coast to a fourth-place finish. She was also named

Runner of the Year after winning the individual title, helping lead

the Pirates to the state title in cross country in the fall.

Natalizio swam a leg on the winning 800 freestyle relay and placed

second in the 50 butterfly to help lead the Pirates to an

eighth-place showing at state.

John Knox earned his third conference Coach of the Year honor this

year for guiding the women’s track and field team. He also coached

the men’s team and led both state champion cross country squads.

Janice Maran, who led the OCC women’s tennis team to a share of

its second straight league crown, was named Coach of the Year.