USAWP National League finals on tap

High school teams have transitioned from girls’ water polo season to swim season, but there is high-level water polo coming to Orange County this weekend.

The 2017 USA Water Polo National League will conclude at Irvine’s Woollett Aquatics Center on Saturday and Sunday. Semifinals are scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday, with the title game at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Many water polo players with local ties will be competing in the third and final weekend of the National League, which is in its third year of existence. The National League sets the stage for summer competition at three different events, including the Fisher Cup on May 20-21, the Kalbus Cup on June 24-25 and the USA Water Polo Senior Nationals on Aug. 4-6. The top two teams in the National League Championship, Fischer Cup and Kalbus Cup will all earn automatic bids to the Senior Nationals.

Top-seeded Olympic Club enters the weekend undefeated and is looking to take down its first National League crown. The team features former UC Irvine standout Ryan Bailey, a four-time Olympian from 2000-2012.

Three teams enter the championship weekend with a 4-2 record, including Alumni, New York Athletic Club and USA University. The Alumni club has former UC Irvine stars Griffin Lerman and Greg Enloe on its roster. New York Athletic Club features two-time Olympian John Mann, a Corona del Mar High product, as well as Newport Beach resident and Mater Dei High star Jackson Seybold, plus Huntington Beach High senior Ryan Hurst. As for USA University, Newport Harbor graduate and 2016 Olympian Luca Cupido (Cal) is on the roster, as well as CdM graduate and UC Irvine standout Kyle Trush.

Other teams in the field also have players with local ties. The USA Collegiate team has CdM senior Tamir Avital, as well as CdM graduate and UC Irvine player Jack Trush. UCLA-bound Huntington Beach High senior Quinten Osborne, this year’s Daily Pilot Dream Team Player of the Year, is playing for USA Junior, as is Huntington Beach junior Jacob Cavano.

Huntington Beach High junior Garrett Zaan is playing for USA Academy, and the Los Angeles Athletic Club has three locals, including Newport Beach native Anthony Daboub (UCLA), Cal-bound Huntington Beach High senior Ethan Wojciechowski and Newport Harbor senior Cole Brosnan.

Daily admission this weekend is $5 for USA Water Polo members and $10 for nonmembers. For full rosters, tournament schedules and more information, visit usawaterpolo.org.

BIG WIN FOR COSTA MESA BOYS’ SWIM

The Costa Mesa High boys’ swim team earned a key Orange Coast League win on Wednesday after beating defending champion Laguna Beach, 97-73.

Aidan Blair (100 butterfly and backstroke), Misael Andino (200 IM and 100 freestyle) and Nick Ly (50 freestyle and 100 breaststroke) were all double-event winners.

Blair, Ly, Andino and Jacob Petersen also won both the 200 medley relay and 400 free relay. But Mesa Coach Tim Postiff said it was depth that allowed the Mustangs to win the meet.

“We had a number of swimmers move up a spot or two in their events and earn much-needed second and third place finishes,” Postiff said in an email. “Teak Zachary, Grant Christensen, Nick Vargo and Dien Do all had great swims for us [Wednesday].”

Costa Mesa’s boys are now 2-0 in league. They also beat Saddleback in the league opener.

“Swimming against Laguna brings out the best in our kids,” Postiff said. “Laguna is the best the OCL has to offer year in and year out, and to beat them early in the season says a lot about the progress our boys are making. It is an early win, but there is a long road ahead for us. We still have four league dual meets left and OCL Finals. All the teams will be hungry to compete for the OCL championship, and knowing the Laguna coaches, they will have their athletes ready to perform at a high level as they always do.”

NEWPORT’S MCKENNON FINISHES FOURTH AT EASTER BOWL

Newport Harbor High freshman tennis player Max McKennon finished fourth in the boys’ 14s at the prestigious Easter Bowl tournament this week in Indian Wells.

McKennon, the top seed, had two tough three-set victories to make the semifinals in the tournament, which is the USTA Spring National Championships. In the semifinals, McKennon lost to eventual champion and No. 9-seeded Alexander Bernard of Florida, 6-3, 6-1. On Thursday morning, McKennon lost to Martin Damm of Florida in the third-place match.

It was McKennon’s fourth time playing at the Easter Bowl, but first time advancing past the round of 16.

“I felt good,” said McKennon, who hadn’t played a tournament since suffering a wrist injury in early February, in a phone interview. “I just had no expectations because I hadn’t played in five weeks. Those long matches were good confidence-boosters.”

McKennon and partner Jameson Corsillo also made the boys’ 14 doubles semifinals before losing to No. 3-seeded Aryan Chaudhary and Timothy Li, 6-4, 6-4. McKennon and Corsillo came back to beat Grant Durham and Isaac Smith, 6-1, 6-3, in the doubles third-place match to earn a prestigious bronze ball.

Earlier this year, McKennon earned his first individual gold ball after winning at the USTA Winter National Championships in Florida, and a silver ball in doubles.

“Now I have gold, silver and bronze,” McKennon said. “That’s pretty cool.”

The Sailors will have McKennon back in the lineup on Tuesday, when they play at Fountain Valley in a key Sunset League meet.

CDM SEEKS GIRLS’ POLO COACH

Corona del Mar High is seeking a girls’ water polo coach following the resignation of Kevin Ricks.

Applicants should submit a letter of intent, giving insight into the candidate’s motivation and qualifications to fill the position. In addition, applicants should send a resume and up to three letters of recommendation to CdM Athletic Director Don Grable at dgrable@nmusd.us.

The deadline to apply is Friday, April 14.

matthew.szabo@latimes.com

Twitter: @mjszabo