CdM’s Van Hiel can take it easy for now

Heather Van Hiel can rest easy now.

High school is over. This week is meant for fun. The Corona del Mar High graduate is on vacation in Maui, a great way to unwind after four years of competing in water polo and swimming.

There’s also plenty of reasons to celebrate. Among the reasons: Van Hiel ended her high school career with a noteworthy accomplishment. She was named the Pacific Coast League’s Athlete of the Year.

“It was really cool that I won,” Van Hiel said with simplicity during a phone interview before she took on the waves, surfing with her friends.

A week in Maui seems like a great way to chill before preparing to play for the top college women’s water polo program in the nation. Van Hiel, who mainly excelled in water polo at CdM, will play at UCLA, which has won the past five NCAA championships.

When her vacation is done, she’ll compete for the Saddleback/El Toro (SET) water polo club, playing with several girls on their way to UCLA. Her high school days behind her, she’ll be getting ready to become a Bruin.

She can look back with a smile.

With her speed and aggressive play she became a great defender for the Sea Kings, helping lead the team to the title game in CIF Southern Section Division I the past two years.

However, Van Hiel also proved potent in scoring. As a senior she scored 49 goals. She also had 46 assists and 66 steals. She was named Co-MVP of the Pacific Coast League.

In her final two seasons, she earned Daily Pilot Dream Team honors, and she was also an All-CIF Division I first-team selection. Last year, she was on the All-PCL first team.

Those are all great highlights for Van Hiel. But there was something more that stood out for her, as she finished at Corona del Mar. It didn’t have much to do with water polo statistics or even a PCL award.

“Playing water polo and swimming in general, that’s the reason I’m going to such a good school,” Van Hiel said of what she cherished most from high school. “I also met my best friends because of sports at CdM. I met the best people I have ever met. [Girls’ water polo coach] Aaron Chaney is a great guy. He taught me so many great life lessons. Having [girls’ swim coach Doug] Volding as a coach and just having great coaches like that meant a great deal to me.”