Grossmont College players defend a shot by Southwestern College's Kelle Waggoner in Sept. 9 Pacific Coast Conference game.

Grossmont College continues to make a splash

Griffins contending for third consecutive PCC titles

By Phillip Brents

CHULA VISTA, Sept. 9, 2004 -- The Grossmont College men's and women's water polo teams have won two consecutive Pacific Coast Conference championships. The Griffins do not look like they are slowing down anytime soon after sweeping a double-header at Southwestern College.

In the first game, the Grossmont women defeated the Jaguars by a score of 18-4. The Griffins claimed the men's finale by a score of 16-3.

At right: Grossmont College's Brent Watkins looks for a shooting lane in Sept. 9 men's game.

Women's coach Larry Larsen, the PCC's Coach of the Year the past two seasons, believes his team has enough returning firepower to capture a third consecutive conference title.

"We have a good club. We have a lot of returners and new recruits. At our level, you just never know what teams are going to be good with the turnover from year to year at the JC level," Larsen said.

The Grossmont women's team is keyed by sophomore Kelly Ott, the team's leading scorer last year, and All-American goalie Sierra Castro. Ott is a graduate of Valhalla High School. She had six goals in the season-opening victory against Southwestern. Castro, a Monte Vista High alumna, had eight assists in the game to match her eight saves.

The Griffins turned a modest 3-1 first quarter lead into a comfortable 6-1 halftime edge and assumed a commanding 14-2 lead entering the final period with an eight-goal third quarter explosion. Ott and Suzanne Haflich (Helix) both had two goals in that third-period eruption.

Patty Halmay (El Capitan) finished the game with two goals and two assists while Colleen Schuller (Monte Vista) also scored two goals.

Highlighting the newcomers to the program this season are three freshmen starters: Tiphanie Litalien (San Clemente), Caroline Galambos (Westlake) and Megan Lohr (Valhalla).

The victory by the Grossmont men's team was its third consecutive to start the season following previous victories against Citrus and Cypress. The Brian Harvey-coached Griffins took charge from the sprint in building up a 7-0 first quarter lead. Grossmont led 12-2 entering the final period.

Scott Turton paced the Griffins with five goals while a trio of Grossmont players -- Brent Watkins, Billy DeRidder and Coby Fielding -- each contributed two goals. Karl Maes, Tom Nelson, Caleb McCutcheon, Marshall Soltman and Tom Dauphinee rounded out the Griffins scoring attack with single goals.

Turton highlights Grossmont's out-of-area talent pipeline. Joining him from Righetti High in Santa Maria is McCutcheon while Soltman, Nelson and Kale Schlactus all hail from Beaverton, Ore. Watkins and goalie Levi Prior are from Clear Lake, Tex. Maes and Fielding are from Buchanan High in Clovis. Goalie Eric Slayton is from Hemet while Dauphinee is from Ohio.

East County prep products include Grossmont's DeRidder, Santana's Brian Tippin and Valhalla's Ryder Olson and Nathan Lohr.

Southwestern's women team was led by Jennifer Pavlov, Kelle Waggoner, Victoria Josephus and Jennifer Islas with one goal apiece. Bryan Flitcraft, Oscar Urrutia and Adnan Younis scored single goals for the Jaguar men's team.