Tars’ Bury a brute force

Rick Devereux

Last in a series

It wasn’t even fair for the opponents when Michael Bury was in the

water for Newport Harbor High. The recent graduate simply dominated

in the competition in swimming and water polo while earning the

selection of Newport Harbor’s Male Athlete of the Year.

There were early signs that Bury was going to be a force to be

reckoned with. He rose to the highest level in the Boy Scouts to join

former president Gerald Ford, current Secretary of Defense Donald

Rumsfeld, and former Senator Bill Bradley as an Eagle Scout.

As a freshman, playing in his first varsity game, Bury scored a

goal in the Sailors’ 20-9 win over Millikan in the first round of the

2000 CIF Southern Section Division I playoffs.

Once he was on the varsity squad full-time, Bury made a big splash

as the team’s two-meter player. He helped lead the Sailors to their

fifth straight Sea View League boys water polo title and was named

all-league for his 56 goals, second most for the Tars. He was also

selected third-team All-CIF Division I.

The summer between his sophomore and junior years Bury helped the

U.S. youth national B water polo team bring home a bronze medal in

the world youth water polo championships in Brazil.

“(Bury) is definitely one of the strongest two-meter men in

Division I in the county and he has improved,” Coach Jason Lynch said

told the Daily Pilot before Bury’s junior year.

The Tars relied on Bury for much of the season as Newport finished

unbeaten in the Sea View League for the second straight year and

reached the CIF Southern Section Division I quarterfinals. His 90

goals, 26 steals and 10 assists earned him first-team all-league,

first-team all-CIF and second-team All-American. He was also named

the team’s Most Valuable Player.

“Bury is a brute force,” Lynch told the Daily Pilot. “He’s a type

of player that can change a game.”

His 93 goals led the Sailors and earned him MVP honors once again

as well as his third all-league honor. He was also selected to the

first-team all-CIF and second-team All-American for the second

consecutive year as Newport advanced to the quarterfinals of the CIF

playoffs.

Bury was also a member of the record-setting 400-yard freestyle

relay swim team his sophomore year, which included Olympian Aaron

Peirsol. Bury also swam the 50 free, 200 individual medley, 200 free

relay and won the league title in the 100 butterfly that year.

Bury, who graduated with a 4.17 GPA, will compete for Stanford

next year as a walk-on player.