Local age group team wins division

The Laguna Beach Age Group Water Polo 12-and-under girls’ team tuned up for the upcoming national Junior Olympics by winning their division title at the John Hale Summer Championships.

The tournament, the last big event for the team before next week’s Junior Olympics, featured 150 teams ranging in age from 10 to 18. Games were played at 12 different pool sites in the Inland Empire.

Laguna made a statement in its tournament opener by blasting Tustin, 16-1. On Saturday, the locals won two of three games, beating Murrieta (8-5) and then blanked San Diego Shores (10-0). The loss was a 7-3 setback to California Baptist University.

Despite the loss, Laguna still managed to move on to the semifinal round and played long-time rival Los Alamitos. Laguna emerged with a 9-6 victory to set up a championship game rematch with California Baptist University.

The final was a tight one but Laguna came away with a 7-6 victory to take the championship.

“I am enormously proud of how much the girls have developed in only a matter of months,” Laguna Coach Scott Baldridge said. “We started the season with only three returning players and nearly half of the team had never touched a water polo ball before. We have a very young team with eight of our players 9- or 10-years old, facing teams with mostly 12-year-olds.”

The Laguna Beach Age Group Water Polo 12-and-under girls’ team is: Caroline Renezeder, Jenna Knott, Katie Stanton, Olivia Forsythe, Makenzie Fischer, Scott Baldridge, Sandonica Mwangi, Brigette Kimbrough, Mia Salvini, Bella Baldridge, Diana Shirley, Aria Fischer, Daniela Lucidi and Holly Parker.