Orange County Community College Notebook / Steve Kresal : Saddleback Tests Top Water Polo Teams

There’s no ducking the top programs for the Saddleback College water polo team.

Saddleback (10-1), which is ranked third in the state coaches’ poll, defeated second-ranked Golden West, 10-9, Saturday and plays host to top-ranked and defending state champion Long Beach Wednesday at 3 p.m.

Saddleback’s only loss this season was to Golden West in the Cuesta tournament in September.

Saddleback has defeated sixth-ranked Cerritos, 16-13, and fourth-ranked Cuesta, 11-10.

The other teams in the top 10 are No. 5 San Diego Mesa, No. 7 Citrus, No. 8 Santa Monica, No. 9 Palomar and No. 10 Orange Coast. Mesa, Citrus, Palomar and Orange Coast are in the Orange Empire Conference with Saddleback, which is 6-0 after the first of two rounds in the conference.

Saddleback has nine players from last season’s team, including Dave Knox, a transfer from USC, and sophomore co-captains Denny Bethke and Keith Shore.

Shore, who plays the hole position, leads the team in scoring with 43 goals. Bethke is second with 24.

Golden West’s water polo team will also take on Long Beach this week. The Rustlers (10-3) play Long Beach at Belmont Plaza Friday at 3:30 p.m.

Long Beach (10-0) has defeated Golden West twice this season in tournaments, but both teams are 2-0 in the South Coast Conference.

Golden West, under second-year Coach Ken Hamdorf, is going for its 19th consecutive conference title this season.

Community College notes Jim McIlwain was appointed dean of the Orange Coast athletic department last week. McIlwain replaces Sue Brown who stepped down last spring to take an job in admissions and records. . . . The Golden West men’s soccer team (8-0-2), which has won eight consecutive games, opens South Coast Conference play Oct. 13 against Fullerton (5-0). Golden West is ranked second in the state behind Chabot (8-0).

Denise Boenker, the assistant for the Cypress women’s basketball team, had also planned to play volleyball for the school this season. But she suffered a foot injury recently and has decided to give up volleyball. Boenker, who had already graduated from Cal State Fullerton, enrolled for 12 units at Cypress in order to play for the volleyball team. “I really wanted to play this season, but my foot just hasn’t responded,” she said. “I haven’t been able to get into shape, and I don’t feel it would benefit anyone if I came back in the middle of the season.”