Player’s Transfer Questioned

After playing the entire regular season for Sea View League champion Woodbridge, sophomore tennis player Courtney Tenerelli has transferred to Corona del Mar and will apparently play for the Sea Kings in their first-round playoff match Thursday against Colton.

Tenerelli, who won 44 of 51 doubles sets for Woodbridge and was selected first-team All-Sea View League, moved from the Woodbridge attendance area to Newport Beach and the Corona del Mar attendance area Friday, four days after Tenerelli helped Woodbridge defeat Newport Harbor for the Sea View League title.

“This has nothing to do with tennis,” Mike Tenerelli, Courtney’s father said. “It’s my move for business. She’s going along with it as a 16-year-old student.”

Mike Tenerelli said he purchased a house in Newport Beach over the summer, but the house will not be ready until December or January. Tenerelli said he moved his family to a Newport Beach apartment last week because the family’s house in Irvine closed escrow last week and they had to be out by Wednesday.

Tenerelli said the timing of the move worked out well since the first quarter of school ended Friday at Woodbridge and Corona del Mar. But Newport Harbor Coach Fletcher Olson, whose team is seeded first in the Southern Section Division I playoffs wasn’t thrilled about Tenerelli’s transfer.

“I think the timing is incredible,” Olson said. “I think it should be investigated.”

Southern Section Commissioner Dean Crowley said the transfer has been thoroughly investigated.

“I’ve been on the phone with the father for six weeks now,” Crowley said. “They’ve made a legitimate move and we can’t stop them from moving. As long as they don’t have dual residences, they’re fine.”

Crowley said Corona del Mar principal Don Martin will check this week to make sure the Tenerellis do not have two residences. Crowley added Tenerelli would have been ineligible to play for Corona del Mar if Woodbridge’s season--and thus Tenerelli’s--had ended before the playoffs.

Corona del Mar Coach Tim Mang said Tenerelli will probably play No. 1 doubles Thursday with Jenny Meyer. Tenerelli, who helped Woodbridge defeat Corona del Mar twice during the season, will not play her former team in the playoffs because Woodbridge plays in Division III.

Woodbridge Coach Joan Willett said she wished Tenerelli luck.

“We’ve already beaten Corona del Mar twice,” she said. “It’s not our problem anymore. It’s Newport Harbor and [Palos Verdes] Peninsula that are affected by it, not us.”

Mang said he doesn’t expect Tenerelli’s transfer to cause any dissension within his team.

“They’d like to see us win CIF and she’ll help us do that,” Mang said. “She wanted to come here in September. The way we look at it, we got her late.”