Seniors Get Chance to Shine

The Class of ’98 represents many of the diverse neighborhoods of Orange County. Its members attend large schools and small schools, public and private. They are some of the players to watch because of their talent, potential or intriguing circumstances in their lives.

They are seniors and they will tell you that this is their year. Their resumes bellow: “Look at Me.”

Once again, we do.

BADMINTON

Phong Vo, Ocean View

Vo was the only junior named to last season’s Times all-county badminton team and the Seahawks will rely on his leadership this year after losing four team members to graduation. Vo, not known as a finesse player, is one who depends on his power, slamming shots and long hits to keep his opponents off balance.

BOYS’ BASKETBALL

Chris McMillian, Brea Olinda

McMillian matured as a point guard this summer. His stock rose dramatically among colleges after being named one of the top 20 players at the West Coast All-Star camp. “Potential-wise, he’s as good or better than anyone else in the county,” Wildcat Coach Gene Lloyd said. McMillian says he’s looking forward to the start of the basketball season. “The guys will be looking for me to provide leadership,” he said. “Its not easy, but it’s something that, as a point guard, I have to get used to.”

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

Heidi Hardeman, Troy

Troy is among the top 10 teams this season, so Hardeman won’t be overlooked any longer. One of the county’s most intriguing players, she fits into that Melanie Pearson (Woodbridge/UCLA) “tweener” mold between guard and forward. She is 6 feet tall with deft ballhandling skills and a nice shot, easily capable of 30-point games. She averaged 19.7 points and seven rebounds last season and, if a teammate develops into a second scoring threat, Hardeman will score even more.

BOYS’ CROSS-COUNTRY

Mark Gleason, Mission Viejo

Gleason couldn’t do much to improve the performances he turned in as a junior. The Times Orange County boys’ cross-country athlete of the year in 1996 was the top junior in the state Division II finals (15:36), had the seventh-best overall time at the state finals and won the section Division II race in 14:20. Gleason also won the South Coast League championship and helped the Diablos to a 5-0 record.

GIRLS’ CROSS-COUNTRY

Heather Garritson, Buena Park

With a second-place finish in last season’s state Division III race, Garritson has emerged as the county’s top senior girls’ cross-country athlete. She was named to The Times all-county first team as a junior and her accomplishments last year included her third consecutive Freeway League title and a first-place finish in the Gold Division race at the Orange County Championships.

FIELD HOCKEY

Amber Puskas, Santiago

Puskas might be the best field hockey player Orange County has seen in awhile. Despite her team losing the Sunset League title to Edison last year, Puskas, a forward, led Santiago to theTournament of Champions final, where her goal and an assist gave the Cavaliers a 2-1 victory. As a junior, Puskas was selected to the all-league first team, as well as earning a spot on the all-tournament team. She is known for her speed and gritty determination, as well as having great field vision and a knack for getting to the goal.

GOLF

Tom Osseck, Santa Margarita

Osseck was only one of Santa Margarita’s talented golfers on a squad that won the team title at the CIF-Southern California Golf Assn. championships last season. Osseck led the Eagles by shooting a two-under-par 70 at the SCGA Members’ Club at Rancho California in Murrieta in the CIF-SCGA Championship.

GYMNASTICS

Tennli Ulicny, Brea Olinda

Ulicny returns this season to try and top last year’s performance. The top gymnast on the Wildcat squad for the last three years, Ulicny was named the South Coast League gymnast of the year last season. Also a soccer player, Ulicny has a 3.67 grade-point average and plans on attending BYU next year to play soccer.

BOYS’ SOCCER

Mario Gonzalez, Santa Ana

A first team Times all-county selection last year, Gonzalez is the county’s top recruit this season. Though his best position is sweeper, Gonzalez played everywhere for Santa Ana last year, scoring 10 goals and adding five assists. Former Orange High Coach Kevin Esparza saw Gonzalez play this summer and he understands why so many colleges are on his trail. “He was amazing,” Esparza said. “He did some things with the ball I’ve never seen a high school kid do. The kid’s just got unlimited potential.”

GIRLS’ SOCCER

Kim Abbamonto, Capistrano Valley

Abbamonto’s talents are no secret. “She’s big time,” Capistrano Valley Coach Jack Peterson said. Abbamonto has earned All-Southern Section honors the last two seasons and has made the All-South Coast League first-team in her first three seasons. She has orally committed to USC.

BOYS’ SWIMMING

Steve Poling, Laguna Hills

The colorful--he’s fond of dying his hair different colors--and sometime erratic Poling can be a powerhouse in the breaststroke. In high school swimming, he swam the fastest 100 breaststroke time in the county last year to set a Division II record and win at Southern Section finals. A slow starter, Poling cruised through his junior season with marginal victories and not-so-fast times. But as the season progressed and the meets became more important, he started to turn it on, eventually capping the season with a then-career best of 56.37 seconds.

GIRLS’ SWIMMING

Jessamyn Miller, Mater Dei

If there were no Amanda Beard, then things might have been different for Miller. At the Southern Section finals, breaststroker Miller, who’s also outstanding in the butterfly, finished second behind Olympic silver medalist Beard her sophomore and junior years. And in each of those races, her times were not far off Beard’s winning times. Miller made some significant time improvements over the summer. At the Swim Meet of Champions in Mission Viejo, she turned in an impressive time of 1 minute 12.66 seconds in the 100-meter breaststroke to earn her Senior National time as well as win the event.

BOYS’ TENNIS

Ryan Moore, Servite

Moore, the reigning Southern Section individual singles champion and Times Orange County player of the year, recently took care of the toughest decision he’ll make this school year by announcing he’ll attend USC. Now he can sit back, relax and have some fun his senior year. But Moore said there are still a few things left for him to accomplish before he leaves Servite, such as winning the section individual title again. “You have to do it all over again,” Moore said. “I’ll try to make it a double, I guess. Maybe take Ojai. I haven’t done that in a few years. You have to keep setting goals or things get stale.”

GIRLS’ TENNIS

Nina Vaughan, Corona del Mar

A summer season that included top-30 finishes at the national clay court and hard court tournaments had the phone ringing off the hook at the Vaughan house. “Instead of thinking of who I’m going to call to see if I can get a scholarship, these top 20 schools are calling you and saying they want you,” she said. “It’s really flattering. I got my confidence up this summer and realized with some hard work and extra dedication, I could be a really good player.” Vaughan has reached the semifinals of the Southern Section individual tournament the last two years and her team has reached the semifinals the last two years. She is hoping to change that trend this year. “I want two new banners hanging up this year at Corona del Mar, one for the CIF team championship and another for the individual championship,” she said. “I believe both are very attainable.”

BOYS’ TRACK AND FIELD

Al Williams, Irvine

With Tustin’s Dominique DeGrammont out of his way, Williams is primed to take top honors in the 300-meter hurdles this spring when the boys’ track and field season begins. Williams was named to The Times all-county second team as a junior and took third place at the state meet last spring with a time of 37.55 seconds, just ahead of DeGrammont (37.61), who finished fourth.

GIRLS’ TRACK AND FIELD

Ashley Bethel, Mission Viejo

The multitalented Bethel accomplished a feat not many track and field athletes can brag about. As a junior, she qualified for three events at the state meet, finishing fourth in the 100-meter high hurdles (13.87), seventh in the long jump (18-4 1/2) and eighth in the high jump (5-4). She was named to The Times all-county girls’ track and field team in the 100-meter high hurdles and long jump.

BOYS’ VOLLEYBALL

Marcus Skacel, Santa Margarita

Skacel is one of the county’s best all-around players. The 6-4 outside hitter helped the Eagles win the Southern Section Division II championship last spring and he teamed with Adam Breault to win the U.S. junior national beach volleyball tournament. Skacel and Breault qualified for the U.S. team that will play in Brazil and Italy in 1998.

GIRLS’ VOLLEYBALL

Michelle Chambers, Santa Margarita

Chambers, who has orally committed to Stanford, is a dynamic outside hitter who has shifted the balance of power in the county this season. She transferred from Dana Hills, one of the favorites to win the South Coast League, to Santa Margarita, making the Eagles the favorite to win the Sea View League. “With her, we definitely have a chance to be the top team in the county,” Santa Margarita Coach Eddie Rapp said.

BOYS’ WATER POLO

Kyle Baumgarner, Villa Park

A member of The Times Orange County’s 1996 second team in the two-meter position, Baumgarner’s performance will, like last year, play a pivotal role in how his team finishes. As Villa Park’s leading scorer with 116 goals last season, Baumgarner can play both ends of the pool with equal intensity and skill, Spartan Coach Jeff Ehrlich said. A highly respected player among his teammates, coaches and opponents, Baumgarner was on almost every coach’s list for players to watch in the county.

GIRLS’ WATER POLO

Jackie Frank, Los Alamitos

Frank was one of the dominant players in the section last season and was voted the Sunset League’s MVP, though she was named Los Alamitos’ co-MVP along with the county player of the year, Kristin Guerin. Frank, a goalie, is being recruited by UCLA, USC, California and Stanford. Her strong play will make the Griffins one of the favorites to win a section title this season.

WRESTLING

Pat Cadwallader, Brethren Christian

Cadwallader proves that not all that glitters on the mat comes from Calvary Chapel. As Brethren Christian’s first state finalist last year, his season included individual championships in the Olympic League, Southern Section Division I, Masters and a third-place finish at state finals. There was no question who was the best in the 135-pound weight class as Cadwallader beat Jay McGuffin--who transferred to Calvary Chapel after winning three Washington state titles--at Olympic League duals, Masters and state finals.

*

Paul Halpin, Michael Itagaki, Melanie Neff and staff writers Erik Hamilton, Martin Henderson, Dave McKibben, Paul McLeod and Mike Terry contributed to this report.