NBWPC 10Us win tournament

The Newport Beach Water Polo Club 10-and-under team won the Hale Summer Championships last weekend in Riverside, defeating Laguna Beach, 8-1, in the 10-and-under championship game.

Newport Beach went 5-0 in the two-day tournament, a warmup for the upcoming USA Water Polo Junior Olympics. The 10-and-under boys defeated Foothill, 7-3, in the semifinals, rallying from a 3-1 deficit.

NBWPC, coached by former UCLA player Aimone Barabino, was led by players like left-handed center Ben Leichty, goalkeeper Ryder Wendell-Cook, set guard Nick Kennedy and speedy sprinter Finn LeSieur. Other contributors for Newport Beach included Dane Clayton, Owen Tift, Tyler Slutzky, Spencer Parsons, Wes Hanson, Peter Castillo, Quinn Bartlett, Luke Caruthers, Will Jacobsen, Trey Smith and Gavin Netherton.

Newport Beach now prepares for the Junior Olympics. The 10-and-unders are competing in Session Two, which begins July 29. They are the No. 2-seeded team in their division behind rival Vanguard.

— From staff reports