Briefs: CdM’s Chase Stanford bound

Corona del Mar High senior Reid Chase, the 2012 Newport-Mesa Player of the Year in boys’ water polo, said Thursday he has committed to play at Stanford University.

Chase went on his official visit to Palo Alto in late January, and said he made his final decision soon after that. Chase, who has a 4.3 grade-point average at CdM, was accepted at Stanford last fall.

“I really liked the guys who were on the trip with me, and the campus is amazing,” Chase said. “It’s just the best mix between academics and water polo I could get. You can’t really turn down Stanford. I really like the coaching staff there. It’s a good fit for me.”

The versatile Chase led CdM with 84 goals last fall, helping the Sea Kings reach the CIF Southern Section Division 1 semifinals. He was the Pacific Coast League MVP and a first-team All-CIF Division 1 selection.

Just after the high school season, Chase also played for the U.S. men’s water polo youth national team at the inaugural FINA Youth World Championships in Perth, Australia. Team USA placed eighth.

At Stanford, Chase will be coached by John Vargas, who led the boys’ program at CdM for 19 years and won seven CIF titles before leaving to coach the Cardinal in 2001.

— Matt Szabo

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Saleh set for Auburn

Newport Beach resident Dante Saleh has committed to Auburn University for men’s tennis, his father, Terek, announced recently in an email.

Saleh cited the coaching staff, the facilities and playing in one of the strongest tennis conferences in the country (the Southeastern Conference) in his decision.

Dante Saleh, 17, won his first Assn. of Tennis Professionals match last September at a futures event in Mexico. His father said he is one of only six players under the age of 18 with a professional ranking.

Saleh plans to sign his National Letter of Intent to play for Auburn in April.

— Matt Szabo

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Three Pirates

all-conference

Orange Coast College freshman guard Dayanara Armenta was named first-team All-Orange Empire Conference, while sophomores Jenna Arnett and Michelle Angel represented the Pirates on the second team.

Armenta, a 5-foot-6 shooting guard out of Foothill High led the Pirates in scoring at 16.9 per game and had double-figure points in 25 of 28 games for Coach Mike Thornton’s squad (13-15, 4-8 in conference).

She made six of 11 three-point attempts on her way to scoring 28 on Nov. 29 against Allan Hancock. It was one of eight games in which she scored at least 20.

Angel, who handled point guard duties for much of the season, averaged 9.5 points and produced 15 games with double-figures in points. She also averaged 5.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists per contest.

Arnett, a strong defender at forward, averaged 8.6 points and a team-best 7.9 rebounds per game. Her best performance was 27 points and 11 rebounds in OCC’s 77-57 win over Santa Ana.

— From staff reports