Newport Beach, SET girls earn gold at USA Water Polo Junior Olympics
Carolyn Doyle may have graduated from Newport Harbor High two decades ago, but today she no doubt spends plenty of time at her old stomping grounds.
Then known by her maiden name of Carolyn Conway, she helped the Sailors win their second CIF Southern Section Division 1 title as a senior under the guidance of legendary late Sailors coach Bill Barnett.
Nowadays she coaches for Newport Beach Water Polo Club. She said last year, some parents threw her a surprise baby shower in the coach’s room for her youngest child, Duke.
“It’s kind of wild,” Doyle said. “I kind of joked to them, like, Coach Barnett would just crack up knowing that I had my baby shower in his old office and team room. It’s really come full circle, but it just shows the strong alumni presence and how much of a tradition it is with a lot of our families.”
Newport Beach shows no signs of slowing down. The club finished off a very strong USA Water Polo Junior Olympics with two titles in the 10-and-under girls and 12U girls divisions on Sunday, as Session Two concluded at Stanford University.
Meanwhile, five girls from Laguna Beach High helped SET repeat as the 18U champion.
The family aspect is apparent. Newport Beach had three sister pairs who each won gold, with one girl on the 12U team and one on the 10U team. They included Doyle’s daughters Hope and Hattie, as well as the daughters of former CdM standout Jordan Moala (Anae), Annabel and June, plus Cece and Miller Mesenbrink.
Doyle is the 10U girls’ head coach, and her Newport Beach Blue squad beat San Clemente 6-2 for the title.
Standouts included Hattie Doyle, June Moala and Miller Mesenbrink on offense, as well as Wren Offutt and Emma Blanchette on defense. Emme Visser also shined as the team’s goalie.
“I knew from the beginning of the season that it was a special group of kids,” Doyle said. “These girls have come together and done really well. We hold them to a pretty high standard. We’ve taught them some plays, we swim a ton … The girls are super-tough and super-competitive.”
The Newport Beach 12U girls also powered through the Junior Olympics, earning a 13-7 win over Patriot in the title match. Attacker McKenna Mack earned MVP honors.
Coach Kevin Ricks said that final victory over Patriot avenged the girls’ only loss this season.
“Each game, there was kind of a different kid that stepped up and played well for us,” Ricks said. “In the quarterfinal we beat Stanford, and Alexa Hourigan played really well. Hope Doyle and Annabel Moala, they played really well in our championship game against Patriot. That game was their best game of the tournament, which was really fun to see.”
Other standouts for the 12U girls included top defender Cece Mesenbrink and goalkeeper Clara Carpenter.
Newport Beach’s 14U girls, buoyed by strong play by incoming Newport Harbor freshmen Addie Ting and Caroline Daniel, advanced to the title match before falling 9-7 to Santa Barbara 805.
“One game doesn’t define the incredible year they had together,” Coach Christina O’Beck said. “My goal for 14s is always long-term development, and getting them as ready and prepared for high school as possible. I would say we were definitely successful in that department, considering the vast amount of growth they had.”
O’Beck’s other squad, the Newport Beach 16U girls, rebounded from a semifinal loss to Regency to beat SOCAL 14-13 for the bronze medal.
Leaders for the 16U girls included incoming sophomores Gabby Alexson, Madison Mack and Valery Verdugo, incoming juniors Kylie Robison and Sophia Verdugo and incoming freshman left-hander Campbell Pence.
Several of the 16U girls were double-rostered on the Newport Beach 18U team, which finished eighth.
The SET 18U girls, meanwhile, earned their second straight title in the top division by blasting Lamorinda 17-8 in the title match.
Laguna Beach High graduates Ava Knepper and Emmy Hensley, as well as incoming Breakers seniors Presley Jones, Kara Carver and goalkeeper Siena Jumani, helped SET earn the title.
“It felt amazing, although this team is so incredibly special that I had no doubt in my mind that we were going to win,” said the USC-bound Knepper, who earned MVP honors.
It was the eighth Junior Olympics gold medal for Jones, and the seventh for Carver.
Hensley, headed for Brown University, got to play with her future college teammate in Corona del Mar graduate Ava Schoening, who also suited up for the SET 18U girls.
Hensley said finishing up with some of her best friends was certainly memorable.
“It was unreal, the best ending that could have been,” she said. “Especially up at Stanford, the aquatics center there is unbeatable. I think we’re just in shock and super-blessed with the opportunity that we were given, and the outcome. It’s really a special experience, especially with girls that you’ve been with for so long. I’ve played with Ava for like 10 years.”
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