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Five seniors who signed with Division 1 collegiate programs. Two experienced juniors who are committed to USC. And a sophomore center on the rise.
Mater Dei’s girls water polo program returns all of this, and more, from a team that won three regular-season tournaments last season and reached the semifinals of the CIF-SS Open Division playoffs.
The Monarchs also advanced to the 18-under-final as a club at the Junior Olympics over the summer and added a transfer who is left-handed.
Mater Dei, No. 1 in the Orange County preseason rankings, enters this winter with strong credentials and high expectations but is focused on its daily journey, Monarchs coach Chris Segesman said.
“(Our) mindset is simple,” the coach and Olympian said. “Work hard and have fun. One day at a time.”
A concentrated effort will certainly help the Monarchs in their pursuit of a postseason breakthrough. The Open Division features several strong teams, including defending champion Oaks Christian, reigning Trinity League champion Orange Lutheran and Newport Harbor, the Open Division runner-up last season.
“Good teams out this year,” Segesman added. “(It) should be a great year.”
In November, Mater Dei seniors Kirra Pantaleon (Stanford), Penny Mauser (Indiana), Ayla Ackerman (Michigan), Riley Johnson (USC) and Sienna Sorensen (USC) all signed with colleges.
The Monarchs feature two other USC commits in juniors Delaney Hook and Maggie Ryan.
Their sophomore classes includes Paige Segesman, who earned first-team All-American honors at Junior Olympics, and left-handed attacker Campbell Pence, a transfer from Newport Harbor.
Mater Dei center Bella Jurgensen, a recent UCLA commit, transferred to Orange Lutheran.
The Lancers had six seniors sign with colleges in November.
NOTES
Mater Dei is the top seed for the Villa Park Classic, which runs through Saturday. … The Bill Barnett Holiday Cup, hosted by Newport Harbor, is Dec. 19-20. The start date coincides with the end of the CIF-SS sitout period for transfers. … The Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions is Jan. 8-10. … Orange Lutheran plays host to Mater Dei at Santiago Canyon College in the Trinity League on Jan. 15. … The Newport Harbor Invite is Jan. 22-24. … The CIF-SS finals are Feb. 21. … Freshmen at Newport Harbor and JSerra helped the U.S. cadet team win gold at the under-15 Pan American Championships in September. They players included Cami Chomchavalit from Newport Harbor and Danielle Ku and Skylar Shim from JSerra. … First-year JSerra coach Ethan Damato guided the U.S. women to the title at the under-20 World Championships in August.
TOP 10 TEAMS
Records through Thursday, Dec. 11
1. Mater Dei (2-0): The Monarchs are loaded with returners from a team that reached the CIF-SS Open Division semifinals last season.
2. Orange Lutheran (7-0): The Lancers’ early highlights under new coach and Olympian Melissa Seidemann include winning the Warriors tournament and defeating The Bishop’s 11-8.
3. Newport Harbor (6-1): The Sailors’ early-season resume includes a 13-11 win on the road against San Marcos and a 10-5 loss at Oaks Christian.
4. Corona del Mar (6-1): Sophomore Camryn Spruill netted the winning goal in a 9-8 victory against JSerra at the Warriors tournament. Sophomore Keira Bethell scored eight goals in a 14-12 win against Laguna Beach.
5. JSerra (7-2): New coach Ethan Damato is blending several strong seniors with a large group of young players.
6. Foothill (5-0): Sophomore Michaela Murphy scored with one second left to lift Knights past Beckman 9-8.
7. Beckman (1-2): The Patriots feature UC Irvine signee Brooke Knisely and top freshman Natalie Arata among others.
8. San Clemente (1-1): The Tritons return four starters, including goalie Terra Lindberg, from a team that finished as the narrow Division 1 runner-up last season.
9. Laguna Beach (2-2): The reigning CIF-SS Division 1 champion has a number of younger players to watch, including freshman center Resi Leverty.
10. Sunny Hills (7-1): Longtime coach Keith Nighswonger has one of his better teams. Willow Morrell plays goalie and in the field.
TOP 10 PLAYERS
Gabby Alexson, Newport Harbor: The junior center recently committed to USC. Also keep an eye on sophomores Carolina Daniel and Addison Ting.
Allison Cohen, Orange Lutheran: The reigning O.C. player of the year helped the U.S. strike gold at the under-20 World Championships in August. She netted eight goals in a win against Beckman.
Delaney Hook, Mater Dei: The junior attacker is committed to USC, which signed the Monarchs’ Sienna Sorensen and Riley Johnson and has a commitment from Maggie Ryan.
Brooke Knisely, Beckman: The UC Irvine signee returns as one of the county’s top centers.
Emerson Mulvey, Newport Harbor: The junior scored three goals in the fourth period to help the Sailors pull away from San Marcos.
Kirra Pantaleon, Mater Dei: The Stanford signee racked up 96 goals, 42 assists and 45 steals last season.
Sloane Paulson, JSerra: The Brown commit helps lead a senior class that includes Kamryn McCord (Arizona State), Maddie Weston (UC Santa Barbara) and goalie Sayre Duran.
Sareen Sardarian, Corona del Mar: The transfer from Woodbridge recently committed to UCLA.
Paige Segesman, Mater Dei: The Monarchs are deep but Segesman looks like a prime option at center. The sophomore showed improved speed and shooting at the Junior Olympics.
Sienna Sorensen, Mater Dei: The USC signee is the county’s top returning goalie.