Memorial golf tournament set for Monday

The first Bubba Kapko Memorial golf tournament will be held Monday at Costa Mesa Country Club.

The tournament is a fundraiser for Estancia High’s Athletic Booster Club and the Bubba Kapko Memorial Fund. The club held a similar tournament last year, raising approximately $10,000 for the Eagles athletic program.

The tournament is named for Brian Kapko, an Estancia High grad who was killed in an August car crash in Colorado. Kapko was a standout on the Eagles football team.

For more information on the memorial fund or the athletic booster club, contact Dan Oliver at (714) 331-5284, or Jim Huffman at (714) 856-0571.

UCI to run in NCAA regional

The UC Irvine men’s and women’s cross country teams will compete in the NCAA West Regional on Saturday at the Stanford University Golf Course.

The top two teams in the regional will receive entry into the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Ind., later this month.

The Anteaters’ women’s team is seeking its fifth trip to the NCAA finals under Coach Vince O’Boyle. The women, ranked No. 7 in its region, are led by Big West cross country Athlete of the Year Amber Steen, who led the team to the conference title, and conference Freshman of the Year Laura Olvera.

The UCI men are led by freshman Nick Mosey, who finished 23rd at the Big West Conference championships. The men finished fifth at the conference finals.

Lott semifinalists named

The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation of Newport Beach has announced the seven semifinalists for the second Lott Trophy, which will be awarded Dec. 11.

Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk, Notre Dame linebacker Brandon Hoyte, Kentucky cornerback Antoine Huffman, Maryland linebacker D’Qwell Jackson, Alabama linebacker DeMeco Ryans, Virginia defensive end Brennan Schmidt, and Virginia Tech defensive end Darryl Tapp made the cut from the original 42-player watch list.

The award, named after former NFL star Ronnie Lott, is given to the nation’s top defensive player on and off the field. David Pollack of Georgia was the first recipient of the award.

Newport-Ensenada race date set

The Newport Ocean Sailing Assn. has announced the dates for the 59th Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race.

The race will begin at noon on April 28, 2006, in Newport Beach. The awards ceremony will be held April 30 in Ensenada, Mexico.

The theme of the 2006 race will be “The Tradition Sails On.”

The 2005 race featured 466 boats in 23 different classes.

OCC takes rankings tumble

Orange Coast College’s 27-21 overtime loss to Cerritos in football was a costly one for the Pirates’ bowl hopes.

The Pirates dropped to No. 13 in the latest California Community Colleges regional rankings, falling five spots.

The top eight teams in the final regular season rankings will be eligible for the state playoffs, though other bowl berths are available. Bowl bids will be announced Sunday afternoon.

Locals play in tennis championships

Four area tennis players competed at the recent USA League Tennis 4.0 Adult National Championships in Tucson, Ariz.

Scott Stewart, Larry Bullock and R. Todd Stewart of Costa Mesa and Newport Beach’s Kerry Flaherty were members of Los Caballeros Sport Village’s team, which represented Southern California in the tournament.

Scott Stewart and Bullock were the only locals to see action in the tournament. The two teamed up to win two doubles matches in pool play and Scott Stewart lost in a singles match.

Los Caballeros’ team went 2-1 in pool play, but did not advance into the semifinals.

Four in water polo field

Four area women’s water polo players participated in the recent Speedo Top 40 Tournament in Los Alamitos.

Corona del Mar’s Katie Indvik was a member of the runner-up Team Spectrum, scoring one goal for her team in the tournament. Team Spectrum went 3-1 in the tournament, losing to Team Matrix in the finals.

Newport Beach’s Christina Hewko, Leah Robertson and Melissa Wheeler each scored two goals for Team Splash, which went 1-3 in the tournament.

The tournament was put on by USA Water Polo to feature some of the nation’s top women’s water polo players.

Sage Hill athlete lauded

Phil Kaye, a senior at Sage Hill School, was recently honored at the CIF Southern Section Champions for Character Luncheon.

Kaye, a volleyball player, was one of 10 student-athletes awarded for their demonstration of trustworthiness, responsibility, respect, fairness, caring and citizenship.

Also honored were seven school administrators, eight schools, three officials and one media member, plus two special awards.

The honorees are chosen by the CIF Southern Section Ethics in Sports Committee.