CdM polo stars commit

They were the senior co-captains for the Corona del Mar High girls’ water polo team this year, and they’ve made their college decisions.

Victoria Kent and Margot Money are keeping it all in the family.

Kent is headed to UCLA for water polo, she said Thursday, and Money said she will be swimming for BYU next year.

It’s all in the family because Kent’s parents, Rob and Anne, were both Bruins. Money’s mom and dad, Jill and Chris, also both attended BYU.

Kent and Money helped the Sea Kings reach the CIF Southern Section semifinals for the ninth straight year under former Coach Aaron Chaney, who resigned last month.

For Kent, it was a fairly easy decision to join UCLA after she was accepted into the school in late February. She was also considering UC Santa Barbara, but UCLA has been a powerhouse after winning four straight national titles from 2005-08 and six overall since 2001. The Bruins finished fifth this year.

Kent, a first-team All-CIF Southern Section Division I selection known for her toughness and offense-defense combination, will be a valuable addition to a UCLA team that already features former CdM players Heather Van Hiel and Leslee Kaczmarek.

“I talked to both of them a lot,” she said. “UCLA has both strong academics and athletics. I was really excited [to get in].”

Money, also first-team All-CIF Division I, had wanted to go to BYU, which doesn’t have a women’s water polo program. She said she will miss playing polo, but looks forward to swimming for the Cougars.

Money stepped up her swimming her senior year. She joined the Irvine Aquazots club team in March and dropped around five seconds in her 100-yard butterfly by the end of the season, she said.

“I really wanted to go to BYU,” Money said. “[I liked] the school, the size, the atmosphere. It’s a big school and it had big sports.”

Freshman Ally McCormick, Money, sophomore Hollace Barden and freshman Brynne Wong also set the school record in the 200 free relay at the Division I finals May 14, touching in 1 minute, 39.23 seconds. They were second in the consolation final.