NEWPORT-MESA SPORTS STORIES TO LOOK FOR IN
2008:
May-Treanor, Peirsol will bid to add
to collection of gold medals at upcoming Olympics held in
Reader
Feedback - Currently No comments posted. Comments
One may
have described 2007 as the Year of the Anteater.
In 2008, UC Irvine will be hard-pressed to duplicate its success in athletics
from last year, yet the overriding story to watch for in the upcoming year
could be summed up in one word:
A couple of former Newport Harbor High stars are sure to be making headlines
while they compete in the Olympics this year. Aaron Peirsol, often referred to
as The Backstroke King, will be back at it in the pool, vying for gold once
again. And, Misty May-Treanor, an icon on the beach
volleyball scene, is poised to be standing the highest on the podium.
At the 2004 Olympics in
Back in March, Peirsol bettered his world record in
the 100 back, winning the title at the FINA World Championships in 52.98
seconds. But he�ll have some work to do in the 200 back. At the World
Championships in
Fellow American Ryan Lochte broke Peirsol�s
world record in the 200 back, finishing in one minute, 54.32 seconds. Peirsol�s former record was 1:54.44.
Peirsol had been under his own world-record pace
through 150 meters, but Lochte passed him over the
last 50 meters. Peirsol finished second in 1:54.80.
No doubt Lochte will be on Peirsol�s
mind as he trains for his events, scheduled for Aug. 9-24.
May-Treanor and partner Kerri Walsh seem to have formed
the perfect pair. They won Olympic gold with an undefeated run in 2004. It was
another banner year for them in 2007. And, they�ll be looking for more success
in
Here are more stories to watch for in 2008:
HIGH SCHOOLS
Corona del Mar boys� basketball: Will the Sea Kings win
back-to-back CIF Southern Section Division III-A championships in Coach Ryan Schachter�s second year?
With senior center Stefan Kaluz, bound for
They begin Pacific Coast League play Jan. 9 when they play host to Beckman at 7
p.m.
Josh George: Will the Newport Harbor High 145-pound senior
wrestler advance to the
George is 21-0 and has already won championships this season at the Eagle
Invitational at John Glenn High, and the Andrew Pena Tournament at Irvine High.
He�ll wrestle in the Estancia tournament Friday and Saturday.
Larry Hirst: Will the
Hirst might leave the program for a hiatus after the
2007-08 campaign.
The answer is expected to come by the end of January as the coveted opening has
drawn more than a dozen applicants.
Matt Barkley�s future: The
Barkley, the Gatorade National Football Player of the Year, has his senior year
to play in the fall. But he may verbally commit before the season begins.
The girls are 8-1 and figure to contend for the Division I crown that the boys
won in the fall.
COLLEGES
UC Irvine baseball: Can the program, under first-year coach Mike
Gillespie, match or exceed its breakthrough season of 2007 with a new coach.
The former USC coach will try to guide the Anteaters back to
Standout pitcher Scott Gorgen, named to the Louisville Slugger Preseason All-America
first team, and outfielder Ollie Linton return as key leaders for UCI, which
opens the season Feb. 22 at
Certainly April 4-6 will be dates circled on the Anteaters� calendar. That�s
when UCI will play host to Cal State Fullerton and former head coach Dave
Serrano will make his first appearance back at Anteater Ballpark.
Vanguard women�s basketball: Will the team respond to last year�s
postseason disappointment, and the loss of four
starters from that team?
Kelly Schmidt, Lacey Burns, Rachel Besse and Tiari Goold were all seniors who
helped lead the Lions to the NAIA semifinals last year with a 31-0 record,
before they were upset.
Despite the losses, reigning NAIA Player of the Year Jessica Richter and a
talented cast of newcomers and former reserves, have helped the Lions earn the
No. 2 national ranking thus far.
The Lions will play their first home game of the new year
Jan. 8 against Concordia at 5:30 p.m.
Mike Izzi: Can the newly hired UCI
athletic director revitalize a department still faced with overcoming continued
financial belt-tightening.
Izzi, who generated millions as an associate athletic
director in charge of development at Stanford, will begin his work at UCI this
month.
One of the reasons former athletic director Bob Chichester
cited for his resignation was continuing budget cuts.
Izzi will have that challenge immediately. He is
scheduled to start his job Tuesday, but he said he will use January as a
transition month and plans to be in the office full time no later than Feb. 1.
UCI men�s volleyball: Will the reigning NCAA champions play well
enough to avoid watching this year�s Final Four from the
Coach John Speraw�s Anteaters, ranked No. 5 in the
nation, will begin defense of their national championship against Cal Baptist
Wednesday at
Many believe a third straight trip to the Final Four is too much to ask, after
the loss of four All-Americans from last year�s squad.
But Coach John Speraw�s proven ability to get the
most out of his players, leaves some clinging to
optimism.
Pat Douglass: He should be able to secure the six victories
needed to pass Bill Mulligan atop the UCI men�s basketball program�s all-time
career coaching wins list.
But will Douglass, 158-146 in his 11th season at UCI, find a way to guide the
Anteaters (5-8 after their first win away from campus Sunday) to the program�s
first NCAA Tournament berth?
Courtney Ford: The
She has scored 1,053 points, tied for third all-time at OCC. She trails only
Lisa Schumaker (1,130 points from 1985-1987), and
Jamie Shine (1,060 points from 1994-96).
� Compiled by Steve Virgen