Waldron, Strodel earn honor

Costa Mesa High senior Brian Waldron and junior Hunter Strodel were named Athletes of the Month by the Costa Mesa Kiwanis Club.

They were honored during a luncheon held at the Costa Mesa Holiday Inn Thursday, when football coach Jeremy Osso accompanied Waldron and cross country coach Chuck Lester represented Strodel.

Waldron, a receiver and defensive back, has been a key contributor for the Mustangs, who defeated Godinez, 42-6, Friday to remain unbeaten in the Orange Coast League. He caught six passes for 143 yards and scored two touchdowns, a 71-yard TD and a five-yard reception for six in the Mustangs’ homecoming game. He has 24 catches for 444 yards and has scored five touchdowns. He has recorded three interceptions on defense.

Waldron also excels in basketball and baseball.

Strodel, who also competes in soccer and track and field, has placed in the top 15 all season for the Costa Mesa girls’ cross country team. She is rated to place among the top seven in the Orange Coast League. Strodel, the Activities Chair for the school’s Associated Student Body, carries a 4.0 grade-point average.

PENN’S RASK HAS A BIG WEEK

It’s been quite a week for Erik Rask, a former standout at Corona del Mar, who plays football at Penn.

Rask, a sophomore linebacker, was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week, after helping lead the Quakers to a 27-13 win at Columbia. Rask was part of the defense that held the Lions to minus-20 rushing yards. He also led the team with six tackles.

He helped secure the win recording a sack for a loss of 12 yards that stalled a drive when Columbia was down by eight points. He also recorded an interception that ended the Lions’ hope late in the game.

Rask also contributed Saturday, when the Quakers beat Yale, 9-0, to remain undefeated in the Ivy League. It was Penn’s first shutout in two years, as the Quakers improved to 4-2, 3-0 in league. Rask recorded six tackles, four of them for losses and was part of a defense that held Yale to 25 yards rushing and 163 total yards of offense.

Hultman awarded for stellar play with Rams

Following a superb week of action, Fordham University junior Ryan Hultman, a Corona del Mar High product, was named NCAA.com National Water Polo Player of the Week. He was also selected as the Collegiate Water Polo Assn. Northern Division Player of the Week.

Hultman was hard to stop in three CWPA matches last week, netting 15 goals to go with four steals and two assists. He scored a career-high nine goals on 13 attempts to go with two steals in an 11-10 win over Queens College. His previous high was five, which he matched in the first quarter alone.

Hultman scored a hat trick in each of the Rams’ victories at Harvard and at MIT. He currently ranks third on the Rams with 27 goals on the season in 18 games played. Fordham closes out the regular season against visiting Iona Wednesday.

Wells sets volleyball record at Fordham

Katie Wells, a Newport Harbor High product, set a Fordham University record with a .778 hitting percentage to help the Rams volleyball team to a 25-17, 25-27, 25-22, 25-11 win over Rutgers Wednesday.

Wells finished the night with 15 kills on 18 attempts and only one attack error. She also tied a career-high with eight total blocks against the Scarlet Knights.

Newport tops San Clemente

The Newport Harbor High surf team dominated rival San Clemente, 94-74, Tuesday morning at 56th Street.

Newport stands atop the league with a 2-0 record

The boys’ shortboard squad remained undefeated for the year, winning 54-30. The Sailors took first and second position in all four heats. Taking first place were Canon Call, Fritz Howser, Blake Davis and Jared Cassidy. Placing second were Charlie Hawthorne, Erik Heimstaedt, Colin Moran and Jesse Johnson. Max Colvin placed third.

The girls’ shortboard squad was led by first-place finisher Kaleigh Gilchrist, who scored a meet-high average wave score of 6.6.

Elizabeth Eddy placed second in the girls’ longboard and third in the girls’ shortboard competitions.

Aaron Cervantes also scored a 6.6 as he placed first in the long board and Yuji Kanbayashi placed second and Briggs Viloria took third in the bodyboard.

Newport Defends Sailing Title

The defending national champions Newport Harbor High varsity sailing team began this year’s season where they left off last year with a dominating first-place victory over rivals Corona Del Mar and Point Loma at the Sea Otter Regatta in Monterey recently.

Senior skippers Chris Segerblom and Randall Hause combined with crew members Nicole Grice and Francesca Cappellini to lead the way with a convincing 57-point margin over second-place Point Loma. Also, supporting their gold-division efforts were fellow team members skipper Grant Wensley and crew Daniel Segerblom.

The Newport Harbor JV2 team consisting of skippers Andrew Mather and Ryan Davidson along with crew members Shelley Grice and Jackie Cappellini also won the silver division by 11 points over second-place Notre Dame.

The two-day regatta featured 172 teams from 26 high schools and was represented by nearly 200 sailors. Newport Harbor was able to continue its dominance in light 5-7 knot winds under cloudy skies.