Girls’ Water Polo: Christian earns Sunset League Player of the Year award

Newport Harbor High senior Carly Christian earned Player of the Year laurels in the Sunset League for the recently completed girls’ water polo season.

Christian is joined on the first team by fellow seniors Elissia Schilling and Avery Peterson, as well as junior goalie Cleo Harrington. Bill Barnett was voted the league’s Coach of the Year.

Christian, an attacker bound for UC Santa Barbara, scored a team-high 73 goals for Newport Harbor, adding 19 assists and a team-best 56 steals. The co-captain was a repeat first-team selection after helping the Sailors (24-7) win their sixth league title in seven years and advance back to the CIF Southern Section Division 1 title match, where they were edged, 6-5, by rival CdM.

Schilling, a center headed to UCLA, co-captain and also a repeat first-team selection, had 47 goals, 20 assists and 45 steals for the Sailors. Peterson, a defender bound for USC, had 30 goals, a team-best 22 assists and was second on the team with 47 steals.

Harrington led Orange County Division 1 goalies with her 295 saves.

Newport Harbor senior Carolyn Smith, junior Christina O’Beck and sophomore Rachel Whitelegge earned second-team all-league honors.

— From staff reports