Newport Beach Water Polo Club earns silver at tournament

The Newport Beach Water Polo Club 12-and-under boys team won silver last weekend at the Evan Cousineau Memorial Cup tournament.

Playing in the platinum/top division, Newport Beach went 4-1 in the two-day tournament. Newport Beach beat Bruin, 680 Drivers, SOCAL and Orange County Water Polo Club to advance to the championship game, where it fell to Vanguard, 6-4, on Sunday at Aliso Niguel High.

Team members for Newport Beach included: Alexander Altshuler, Dane Clayton, Benjamin Liechty, Peter Castillo, Maddox Arlett, Tyler Slutzky, Finley LeSieur, William Cook, Carter Loth, Gavin Netherton, Nathaniel Evans, Nicholas Kennedy and Owen Tift.

“I am very happy for my boys,” Coach Marco Palazzo said. “They played great this weekend and I am very proud of them. This is basically the first tournament of the season and I was very impressed how they played together as a team. They are young but already equipped with game experience. This coming year we will have fun watching our team play water polo. Next weekend we have another big tournament in Arizona called Rock-tober, which we are all fired up for. It is amazing traveling with these young athletes. The way they bond together is the best part. They will remember these experiences forever and be friends for a lifetime.”

— From staff reports