-
18U goalie Rhett Pitcock stares down a teammate during a CVAC scrimmage. Photo by Phillip Brents
-
CVAC players scrimmage at the Parkway pool. Photo by Phillip Brents
-
Javier De Leon helped the CVAC 18U boys water polo team earn the bronze medal at this year's California State Games. Photo by Phillip Brents
-
The CVAC 18U boys water polo team earned the bronze medal at this year's California State Games. Photo by Phillip Brents
-
CVAC players scrimmage at the Parkway pool. Photo by Phillip Brents
-
Stuart Sokil defends a teammate in an intra-squad scrimmage. Photo by Phillip Brents
-
CVAC’s 18U boys team includes, from left, Carlos Lizarraga, Rodrigo Perez, Stuart Sokil, Rhett Pitcock, Javier De Leon, Carlos Uribe and Cristian Rojo. Not pictured Justin Patacsil and Nick Howard.
-
CVAC’s 14U girls team includes, from left, Juliana Pierce, Ashley Peterson and Daniela Diaz.
-
CVAC’s 14U girls team includes, from left, Ivanna Martinez, Mildred Monsivais, Christina Montoya, Vanessa Perez.
The Chula Vista Aquatic Club posted a pair of bronze medal finishes at this year’s California State Games water polo tournament, with its 14U girls and 18U boys teams each recording third-place finishes.
The California State Games took place July 19-22, with competition in 21 sports involving athletes of all ages and ability levels from throughout the western region.
The amateur sports festival, which was founded 21 years ago, is modeled after the Olympic Games and promotes both participation and a taste of the Olympic experience. In this Olympic year, participation was made even more special.
Certainly, for CVAC, the outcome of this year’s State Games proved quite eventful.
Chula Vista city councilmember Rudy Ramirez made a special appearance at a CVAC practice following the tournament to congratulate team members on a job well done and for representing the city so well in athletic competition.
“It’s a community-wide effort,” Ramirez said.
The water polo tournament took place July 20-22 at the Joan Kroc Center and Coronado High School pools.
The CVAC 18U boys team finished 3-3 in its 10-team division, scoring victories against Central Valley (8-4) and Poway (13-4) in group play and tacking on a 13-9 victory against Modesto/Stanislaus in the third-place game.
The 18U boys team dropped matches against Empire (11-8), Greater San Diego (8-4) and, in the semifinals, La Cañada (9-4).
“They played great all around and had great communication,” CVAC coach Armando Ramos said. “They knew each other from high school because they played against each other and they came together this summer to perform at the best of their ability.”
Ramos was equally proud of CVAC’s 14U girls team, which defeated Waterdog, 10-4, to start the three-day tournament.
“This was the first tournament as a 14-and-under group,” Ramos said. “They’ve only played water polo for six months. For training only for a limited time, they did well. It was an exciting experience for them, regardless of the number of wins and losses.”
CVAC’s 14U boys and 16U girls teams both finished fourth in their respective divisions.
For complete results, visit the Web site at www.calstategames.org. For more information on the Chula Vista Aquatic Club, visit the Web site at www.swimcvac.com.
Upcoming for local swim teams is a Junior Olympic Max Meet Aug. 10-12 at the Loma Verde pool. The event is sanctioned by USA Swimming.