As the one and only diver on CdM’s diving team, Kaylee Myers has achieved great heights when it comes to this exhilarating sport. Myers recently represented CdM at the Pacific Coast League Championship where she placed first in the springboard 1-meter and 3-meter and went on to Division 1 CIF where she placed in the top ten. When asked how it felt to win first place and then excel onto Division 1 CIF, Myers replied, “It felt good and it was a lot of fun.”

Practicing six days a week for two and a half hours, Myers has worked hard to become such a great diver.

Myers was once a gymnast but after she was injured from a torn elbow ligament she had to stop gymnastics. She soon became interested in diving and said her favorite part about the sport is just getting to dive.

Myers is now jumping from the 7-meter board but she is working to get to the 10-meter board, which is the highest. Diving from great heights can still scare Myers, but she said, “As more time went on the less scared I got and I have gotten over my fears.”

With numerous hours of practice and dedication, Myers has gotten to where she is now as a diver. Her great accomplishments as CdM’s only diver are astounding. Congrats Kaylee!

There was much anticipation preceding the Boy’s Volleyball CIF Semi-Finals match against Loyola High School; the line stretching from the gym into the quad is just one example of this apprehension.

“I’ve never seen a line that long, for any sports game in the gym,” said junior Claire Ham.

The line shortened as the bleachers continued to fill up, and the nervous excitement in the gym was palpable.

CdM began the first game of the match strong, with Senior Outside Hitter Weston Nielsen delivering two kills in a row. After that, however, Loyola pulled ahead; Corona trailed by at least two points for the majority of the first game. Unfortunately for the Sea Kings, Loyola continued their advantage at the end of the game, winning 25-20.

“Every point counted. Both teams could not make a mistake if they wanted to take the lead,” said senior Amanda Nickel.

CdM transitioned into the second game the way they ended the first. Where Loyola was quick on defense and strong on offense, Corona was slow on serve receive and struggled to keep up. Senior Outside Hitter Joey Booth and junior Middle Blocker Evan Dean were assisted by junior  setter Nick Curci and together they helped to shorten the gap between the two scores. At the end of the game, Nielsen served an ace, giving CdM game point advantage. However, a missed serve following the ace tied up the score, and a controversial back-row-attack call by the referee handed Loyola the victory to the second game. 

“I don’t think that the ref should have made that call on Loyola’s game point. It was a really bad call,” said  sophomore player Jack Reed. 

The Sea Kings seemed to have used the last of their energy on the close second game. Loyola quickly pulled ahead in the third game, gaining energy, momentum, and points as CdM became more and more defeated. The final score of 25-16 marked the end of the road for the Sea Kings. 

“It really was devastating. This year was our chance to win it all. But looking at the big picture, we had a great season,” said Curci.

The boys’ varsity volleyball team dominated Laguna Hills as they beat them in three straight games. Laguna didn’t stand a chance against CdM’s energetic and athletic prowess that allowed them to win the game.

The first game was a breeze for the Sea Kings. Seniors Weston Nielsen and Joey Booth killed the ball numerous times in their outside position, and were absolutely unstoppable. The crowd went wild when they won the game, and this in turn got the boys even more fired up.

“Whenever the crowd would cheer, it would make us even more pumped up, and it really helped us win the match,” said junior Nick Curci.

The second game was more of a challenge for the Sea Kings, as Laguna Hills fought back from their initial loss, but it still wasn’t enough to win the game. With countless digs by junior George Kennedy, CdM would have been a tough team to beat.

“Varsity played really great in their second game. They have so much energy in them, it scares me,” said freshman Andrew Deverian.

The third game was not a challenge for the boys, as they used team work and collaboration to win fast and with ease. Junior Spencer Haly had a number of blocks, along with many assists by junior setter Nick Curci.

“I can’t wait for the next match on Friday. We played really well today, and I can’t wait to carry that to our match against University High School,” said junior Spencer Haly.

The boys are really excited about their next match against University High School at home.

From windy to rainy to sunny, the weather on the track last week had a mind of its own; but that did not stop the CdM track and field team from earning another victory against University High School.
“All of the athletes worked really hard and didn’t let the weird weather affect their races,” said junior Sarah Light.
The varsity girls’ won with 89 points. From field events to distance races, girls’ varsity showed their strength. There was a sweep in shot put and discus with record holder Jaycee Olsen winning first place in both. Sarah Cox won first place in the 100-meter hurdles and Leila Pozin won the 300-meter hurdles. Jaycee Olsen also won the 100-meter sprint and the 4 by 400 relay team also won first place. There was a sweep in the 800-meter race with Sarah Keddington taking first place. The 1600 and 3200 races were also sweeps with leading distance runner Melanie Powers placing first in both.
The girls’ junior varsity won with 98 points. There were sweeps in several races as well as many new personal records. Lala Soum won the shot put and discus. Madison Haly won the 100-meter hurdles and placed third in the 300-meter hurdles. There was a sweep in the 100-meters with Cassidy Lundy winning first place. There was also a sweep in the 400-meters with Ellie Nadal in first place. The 800, 1600, and 3200 were sweeps with Amanda Bastien in first place in the 800, Ashlee Powers winning the 1600 and Shelby Perez first in the 3200.
The varsity boys’ won with 77 points and dominated almost every event. There was a sweep in discus with Dan Steele in first place. Ian Klug won the high jump and was second in long jump. Austin Blodgett won the 300-meter hurdles and was third in the 100-meters hurdles. There was a sweep in the 100-meters and 200-meters with Brent Gray winning both. Blake Myers won the 800 and the 1600.
The junior varsity boys’ lost to University by fifteen points but worked very hard on the track and field. Parker Jean won the shot put and discus. Fritz Fiedler won the 400-meters. Jack Murphy won the 3200. Andrew Chiou won the long jump and Winston Hollingshead won the triple jump.
Boys’ frosh/soph defeated University with 64 points. They worked very hard and finished the meet with a plethora of sweeps. There were sweeps in shot put and discus with Caden Stark in first in both. Jason Scholnick won the long jump. There were sweeps in the 100-meters and the 200-meters and Lance Seger won both. Blake Allen won the 400-meters.
Overall the track and field team did extremely well in the meet against University and added another victory to their season record. The next meet is Wednesday at Beckman High School, so wish the team good luck as they continue on in their season!

This Friday in the big gym a long-awaited rivalry game took place. That’s right-the Administrators challenged some of the staff to a wiffle ball game! The “A-team” of Mrs. Russel, Allison Lent, Guy Olguin, Tim Bryan, Mr. McCullock, and Mr. Tolzda faced off against “the Athletes” Mr. Green, Mrs. Holk, Mrs. Polychronopolis, Mr. Fisher, and Mr. Roude in a grudge match dating back to the humble beginnings of the sport. Now the face-off continues as new faces Green and Bryan enter the scene.

“[The Athletes] completely dominated the A-team,” said freshman Ryon Sabouni, “they were really good.

The lunchtime showdown started off well for the Athletes as they jumped off to a strong lead. Green hit multiple home runs, and was responsible for over half of the Athletes 10 points. With strong defense showing clear signs of intense training, the A-team was kept at bay, and was only able to score four runs, including one home run from Mr. Tolzda.

This year the game ended up in a decisive win for the Athletes. With a strong offense and an even stronger defense, the Athletes have managed show the administrators who is boss. At least on the wiffle ball field.

Eighty-two. The number of games each NBA basketball team plays to complete the regular season. Thirty. The number of teams in the NBA who endure the eighty-two game season. Sixteen. The number of NBA teams who make it into the playoffs. One. The number of NBA Teams who win the title of World Champion once the season is over.

The NBA is just hours away from ending its regular season. It has been six months since the season began, and each team has fought hard for their spot in the conferences. Only eight teams from each conference make it to the playoffs, that is just a little over half the teams. While this task may look easy, it really is anything but that.

Many teams overcome great obstacles during the season to have a chance at their playoff dream, some more successful than others, however. In the case of the New Jersey Nets, they had to look past the fact that they were well on their way to the worst season in NBA history in order to have confidence each game.

There were teams who were successful, in fact, there were 16 teams. While the Western Conference has locked all eight playoff seeds, the Eastern Conference has clinched all seeds but one, the eighth seed.

For the Western Conference, the eight playoff spots belong to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Dallas Mavericks, the Utah Jazz, the Phoenix Suns, the Denver Nuggets, the Portland Trailblazers, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Eastern Conference is different than their western counterpart in that most of the teams in this years playoffs are often seen there each year. The Cleveland Cavaliers, the Orlando Magic, the Atlanta Hawks, the Boston Celtics, the Miami Heat, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Charlotte Bobcats have all finalized their positions in the playoffs, however that eighth seed still remains.

The fight for the eighth seed is between two teams, the Chicago Bulls, and the Toronto Raptors. Both equally capable of making a run for the title, but both just short of a high playoff birth due to the competitive atmosphere that lies in the east. It all relies on two game held tonight. If both teams win or lose their games, then the spot will go to Chicago who is just one game up from Toronto. If Chicago loses, but Toronto wins, then the spot will go to Toronto who beat the Bulls twice in their three meetings during the regular season.

Thusly the countdown begins. Sixteen teams, one goal: to become the NBA World Champions.

Mountains, bikes, and Mr. May. What do all of these have in common? CDM mountain bike club! Students ranging from freshmen to seniors all gather together and compete every other weekend against other high school leagues for a chance at state champions. Ranging from 11 to 23 miles, this unisex team is on fire and headed for victory.

“We’ve started out really well this season. Hopefully we’ll win,” junior Rachel Summerville said.

Each student biker is required to race a certain amount of loops, each loop being approximately 6 miles, varying according to gender and division. Girls race two loops while boys range from 3 or 4. The terrain is challenging with rocks, hills, and always the possibility of mechanic problems. If a tire blows out or any other bike issues occur, bikers are required to repair the damage themselves, bringing appropriate tools with them on the course. If for any reason the damage is too difficult to fix themselves, sweepers, assistants following the race, will provide help but with a five minute penalty.

The race is rigorous but definitely worth the training. Each individual  rider accumulates points according to their time and place in the race. Come out and support the CDM spandex bike racers. With fluid speed, team spirit, and sheer determination, there isn’t anything that this league can’t do!

By: Tasha Greenberg

If you follow CdM sports at all, then Reed Williams is a familiar name.  This senior, captain of the Boys Varsity team, was named Offensive Player of the Year in Division IV, 1st team All-League, 1st team All-County, and 1st team All-CIF.  He was also the Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week.  He led the team in goals, scoring 32 goals with 12 assists.  Williams, who was recruited for UCLA as a junior, was a vital component to the many new victories that the team won this year.

With Williams as captain, CdM made history this year as they not only made CIF finals, but proceeded to win finals and became the new state championships.

However, this season wasn’t all fun and games.  Williams was out for a month due to a hamstring injury.  When he returned to the field though, his footwork was as fast and fancy as it was before. As the season progressed, opposing teams got smart and put two to three defenders on Williams.  It was a struggle, but Williams still managed to out-maneuver most of the defenders.

Chris Burke

by Paul Zubatov

CdM Boys Varsity Soccer had an undoubtedly good year.  In a landmark season, the Boys became South Coast Classic Champions, Co-league Champions, and for the first time in school history, not only advanced to the CIF Final, but won in a decisive 2-0 victory over La Mirada High School.

Great respect and thanks goes out to all the players.  However, several have become the CdM Boys Soccer Winter Athletes: Chris Burke, Reed Williams, and Paul Zubatov.

Chris Burke will be highlighted and praised in this article, while the extreme commitments of Williams and Zubatov will be commended in parallel features-be sure to check them all out.

Christopher Bryan Burke.  A man of many faces, and talents, most notably, on the soccer field.  Fellow teammates of his remark upon his playing style.

Sophomore Greg Allen said, “I look up to Burke the most out of all the seniors.  No offense to Tone Bone or Konch, but he’s my hero.  When I grow up, I want to be like Burke.”

Admirable words Mr. Allen.  Some of his teammates cared to add, “He’s a fine man, a fine fine man.  I can always trust him to make clutch plays.  I remember when he got nutmegged and then I stole the ball and passed to Reed [Williams], and he scored – couldn’t have happened without Burke.”

The player chose to remain anonymous.

Chris Burke grew up playing for several boy’s club soccer teams, including ISC Strikers and Slammers FC, where he played amongst such greats as yours truly.

“His talents were immediately recognized when he came out to tryouts in the fall.  I knew he was a good player, but I wanted to reserve some judgement for when he stepped out on the field,” said Varsity Head Coach George Larsen.  ”He didn’t disappoint.”

Having played varsity at Sage High School for the past two years, Burke was never-the-less welcomed as part of the team.  He started and finished the year playing midfield, largely in the center-mid position.

An incredible asset to the team, Burke amassed a respectable 7 goals and 9 assists for the season.

Hayley Raguse

By Katherine Fox

Senior Hayley Raguse has every reason to be the February athlete of the month for soccer. Raguse has been playing varsity soccer for four years as a left midfield and a left forward. This past season she made a huge difference for the soccer team by assisting and scoring many goals. To Raguse, soccer is more than just a sport; it is a part of her life. Through soccer she has made countless friends and found a way to exercise and have fun at the same time.

“I love soccer because even though I have been playing for thirteen years, I still get excited to go to practice everyday and I get the same adrenaline rush before every game,” said Raguse. Next fall Raguse hopes to play club soccer in college.

Pippa Saunders

By Erik Ctvrlik

Sophomore Pippa Saunders is one of the younger members of the girl’s water polo team, and has been known for her hard work in both practice and games. Though only a sophomore, Saunders has already made a name for herself, and was posted by OCVarsity as one of the top ten sophomores in the country. The third seed in the CIF tournament, CdM lost to Newport Harbor in the semifinals. Saunders played center for the Sea Queens and worked hard to assert her dominance in the middle.

Margot Money

by Natasha Marron

While most of us were snuggled up in our flannel sheets and wool blankets this past winter in the mornings, star water polo athlete senior Margot Money was already up and running in the CdM pool starting at 5:00AM each day. She has overcome several hardships in her water polo career, the grusome practices were only the begining of it.

“We lost ten of [class of '09] seniors this year, so that was definitely a challenge,” comments Money, “but all of the girls worked really hard and we strided through really well.”  This seasons’ team was relatively made up of younger girls than normal to add to the challenge, however Margot did her best to take the younger players under her wing and spent the  year giving pointers. “My biggest advice is to give it your all but its just as important to have fun while you’re doing it,” adds Money.

With team trips to Hawaii and celebrating their Division I win at CIF, Margot lead the team by motivating the other players and living up her water polo career to the fullest.

Money has been swimming since age four and competitively starting at age six, this then led up to water polo career starting in fifth grade. Her college plans at this point are not set in stone, but she hopes to attend Brigham Young University in the fall and continue to play water polo.

“I’m going to miss all of the girls and how close we all got with each other,” Money says. She is overall happy with how this year turned out and is eager to continue with her success in college.

Victoria Kent

by Madi Mains

Senior Victoria Kent was a star player on Corona del Mar High School’s Girls Varsity Water Polo Team. This year, she helped the team win the CIF Quarterfinals against Edison High School, allowing them to play Newport Harbor High School in the Semifinals.

“Playing for the CdM water polo has impacted my life in so many ways, it has it taught me the true meaning of discipline and hard work. Though it was very difficult at some points, I loved it and all the girls on the team,” said Kent.

The girls were very dedicated and religiously attended their 5 AM practices before school.

“This season was more difficult than most,” said Kent.

This season’s team was made up of relatively younger girls than normal. After loosing ten seniors last year, the team struggled to adjust. They adjusted well, and ended the season with great success.

As Kent prepares for graduation, she reflected on her memories of the water polo team.

“I am going to miss everything, but especially how close we all were and our preparation in the team room before our games,” said Kent.

Although, she will miss the team she grew so close to, water polo will continue to play a vital role in Kent’s life as she joins the UCLA team in the fall.

Ramon Mejia

by Jenna Shapiro

As a junior on the Varsity Boys’ Basketball Team, Ramon Mejia ruled the court and scoreboards as a true Sea King this past season.

Throughout the season, Mejia, who plays a guard, had 62 rebounds, 65 steals, 84 assists, and nine blocks. Additionally, Mejia scored an astounding 344 points during the season.

“(Ramon) is an excellent all-around scorer. He wants to win and he knows he needs to be aggressive,” said Coach Schachter.

He managed, however, to have only eight personal fouls throughout the entire basketball season.

Schachter said, “He works hard on his game and he’s come a long way.”

The 6’2’’ athlete is sure to only improve with another basketball season ahead of him next year. Great job, Ramon!

Ally Brahs-Girls Varsity Soccer

by Lauren Fox

Sophomore Ally Brahs has been one of the outstanding players on this year’s girls’ varsity soccer team. With the six goals and seven assists, she had this season she definitely helped the Sea Queen’s have a great season.

“Overall this season was really fun!”  said Brahs.

Brahs has been playing since she was four and started playing on the Slammer club team when she was nine. With many years of club soccer experience, Brahs has become a great athlete.

“When I was younger I really wanted to be just like Mia Hamm, I read a lot of books on her, she was my soccer idol and my influence,” said Brahs. Along with Mia Hamm, Brahs has had another influence, her coach, Mr. Middleton.

“Middleton has always had a positive attitude which inspired me to try my hardest,” said Brahs.

Brahs contributed to the girls’ season, scoring several goals and assists throughout league and also helping out on the defensive side of the field. Overall, Brahs felt that the team this year was terrific, they all played very well and bonded.

“We bonded a lot this year and I think that showed on the field,” said Brahs.

The Sea Queen’s teamwork and dedications led them to many victories, and having Brahs as one of the many hardworking players on the team made this year’s season even better!

The track and field team had another victory against Laguna Hills High School last week. It was the first league meet of the year and CdM started off on the right foot. From distance and sprints to long jump and shot put, the track and field team showed that this season is going to be full of excitement.
“It was our second meet this season but the first league meet and I think we all ran really well,” said senior Christine Light. The meet began with relays and sprints. The girl’s junior varsity 100-meters had a sweep with Cassidy Lundy, Skylar Dapp, and Tara Armand taking first, second and third place. In both boy’s and girl’s junior varsity and varsity 400 and 200- meter races, there were at least two athletes who placed in the top three, as well as numerous new personal records. The girl’s junior varsity 4 by 100 relay with Ellie Nadal, Katelyn Landt, Tara Armand, and Cassidy Lundy took first place.
After the sprints and relays were the hurdle events.
“I think that every hurdler did really well at the meet and we had a lot of people make new personal records,” said junior Peyton Wolonsky. Senior Austin Blodgett took first place in the varsity 110 and 300-meters hurdles and broke his own personal records. Senior Leila Pozin won the girl’s varsity 300-meter hurdles.
As for distance, CdM never fails to disappoint. There were sweeps in girl’s junior varsity 800, girl’s varsity 800, boy’s varsity 1600, boy’s frosh/soph 1600, girl’s junior varsity 1600, girl’s varsity 1600, boy’s varsity 3200, boy’s frosh/soph 3200, girl’s varsity 3200, and girl’s junior varsity 3200. Along with all of the sweeps in the races, there were also many personal records broken as well. The distance runners ran hard and racked up a plethora of points for CdM.
As the track athletes ran hard to beat Laguna Hills, the field athletes also did their part. Scott Youngman took first place in the boy’s varsity shot put. There was a sweep in the girl’s varsity shot put with record breaker Jaycee Olsen taking first place. There was also a sweep in girl’s varsity discus. Girl’s junior varsity triple jump took first, second and third place.
At the end of the meet, the standings were in CdM’s favor. Every competing level won the meet except frosh/soph boys, who earned 51 points. Varsity boys won with 78 points. Junior varsity boys defeated Laguna Hills with 57 points. Varsity girls won with 87 points and junior varsity girls won with 98.5 points.
With the season off to such a great start, it looks as if being CIF champions isn’t too out of reach for the track and field team. The next meet is Thursday, April 1st, at 3:00 at Irvine High School. Go out and show your support!