The Davis Water Polo Club sent Boys and Girls teams to the 2010 S & R Sport Junior Olympics in Los Angeles, California.  The Boys competed on July 31 – August 3.  The Girls’ competition was held on August 5 – August 8.  At least 32 to 48 teams from around the nation competed in each age division.  The first day determined whether teams would compete in the Gold Division or the more competitive Platinum Division.  Below are two articles from the August 10 edition of the Davis Enterprise that summarize the results. The articles were written by DWPC athletes, Elsie Fullerton and Hannah Levien.

Many DWPC Boys Squads Get to Upper-Division

By Elsie Fullerton | Enterprise correspondent | August 10, 2010 22:21

LOS ANGELES – The two week break between National Junior Olympics and Davis High School’s regular season is greatly savored by those Davis Water Polo Club participants. After a rigorous summer of training for this national tournament, the four boys teams played well.  Nerves, college coaches watching and a high caliber of competition embodied the scene at the Junior Olympics.  The local boys played great teams, preparing them for the upcoming prep season – meanwhile placing three of four of the boys’ age groups in the upper divisions. The 12s team finished 23rd in the Platinum group. The 12s group participants included Cameron Wright, Patrick Cajandig, Nick Borowsky, Kevin Krupa, Mathew Dailey, Kyle Katzenmeyer Spencer Beckwith, Daniel Alvarez, Steven Csaposs, Justin Bier, Garrett Dawson, Scott Soderquist and Jake Taylor.  In qualifying for the Platnium level, the 12s beat Stanford in a two-goal game (scoring from from Wright, Cajandig, Borowsky and Alvarez and saves from goalie Krupa). Their loss to Socal was a setback, but the team rallied in an incredible game against San Diego Shores. With 20 seconds left, Wright scored the game winner, advancing the locals into the Platinum division.

The 14s group finished 17th in the Gold division. A loss to the Trojans and Santa Barbara put the team in the lower division, despite their win over Marin County. During the second day, the team finished strong with three, one-goal victories. Goals from Graham Fullerton, Alex Borowsky, Chad Prizmich, Ben Diamont and Bradley Nicholson helped the team.

The 16s boys came in 21st in their Platinum group, which had 48 teams. Zephyr Barnes, Jack Blattner, Paul Dailey, David Lester, Tre Moynihan, Dillon Osleger, Scott Perry, Bryan Poole, Brandon Rueda, Connor Stapleton and Nick Swaminathan all participated on the 16U team. The boys had wins over Princeton, Shores, DeAnza and Regency. Top scorers were Stapleton, Daily, Moynihan and Lester. Goalie Dillion Osleger averaged six saves per game.

The 18s team placed 22nd in the Platinum division. Team members for the 18s included Nick Abplanalp, Kody Moynihan, Trevor Allen, Wade Allen, Braden Fisk, Nick Tuttle, Teddy Nicholson, Noah Friedman, Mark Ward, Chris Richardson, and Michael Wright.  The team had major victories over Palos Verdes, Commerce and Houston. Davis also had close losses to Clovis, Newport and Stanford and lost in a shootout to Northwest United, 16-15. Top scorers for the tournament were Allen, Nicholson, Friedman and Richardson.

DWPC U18 girls elevate to Platinum level

By Hannah Levien | Enterprise correspondent | August 10, 2010 22:21

LOS ANGELES – The Davis Water Polo Club girls were in deep water against tough Southern California competition at the National Junior Olympic Tournament last weekend. Of the local teams involved, the 18s girls team was the only team that qualified for the Platinum bracket; the other age groups fell into Gold. The 18s age group proved their strength after finishing 18th in the Platinum bracket. The group faced difficult bracket play after their first game went into a shootout against Carlsbad, a loss to SET A and a victory over Greenwich. After qualifying for the Platinum division the team played Foothill, a team that Davis had previously beaten, but lost an 8-5 game and then lost a close – and very physical – game against San Diego Shores. The 18s group was able to remain in the competition with goals from Zoey Malot, Rachel Brooks, Keelia Houston and Elsie Fullerton.  The team advanced and beat Stanford B in a 9-4 game, and then Corona del Mar in a very close outing. The Davis girls pulled out with a two-goal win. The victory avenged a previous loss to them earlier this summer. Goals from Houston, Michelle Greenough, Rachel Johnson, Brooks and Fullerton helped the team move forward.  In the 17th-place game, the girls lost to the Florida Raiders, 8-5.  Davis Water Polo Club 18s will remain the same for next years National Junior Olympics and the group plans to have extensive training until the next tournament.

In other divisions…

The 12s age group finished 25th in the Gold bracket. The team had one victory in their final game over Diablo, 14-4. They improved every game according to parents and coaches. Despite their rough start, the young team learned a lot, and looks to improve this winter and next summer, according to one coach.

The 14s age group fell short in the beginning, but finished with three wins in a row over Windy City, South Coast and Pacific Polo. Davis’ win over Pacific Polo stood out, as the game remained close throughout, but in the end Davis pulled away with goals from Mara Dominguez, Lauren Owens, Colby Stapleton and Julie Zanobini. The defense won the game, according to attending parents. The girls finished third in the Gold bracket.

The 16s age group will make up the Blue Devil junior varsity water polo team, which will be coached by DHS grad and UC Davis star Dakotah Mohr.  The team gained much experience together, and from playing against high-caliber teams from Southern California.  Davis’ convincing 11-1 win over Puget led them to a 15th-place finish in the Gold bracket.

The Boys results and Girls schedules are posted at the 2010 Junior Olympics website.

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