Southern Section ‘Hopes’ to Select Commissioner Today

After more than a month of indecision, the Southern Section executive committee, in the words of its leader, “hopes” to select its new commissioner of athletics today.

The committee interviewed candidates once again Saturday, according to its president, Margie Godfrey of Lompoc.

Earlier this month, officers of the executive committee interviewed five candidates and recommended three to the full committee: current assistant commissioners Bill Clark and Karen Hellyer, as well as Liberty Christian Principal Clark Stephens, who is president-elect of the section council. But after meeting with the candidates, the committee hired an executive recruiter and reopened the position.

“We determined that, maybe, we were not the experts on this subject that we think we are,” Godfrey said. “So we decided to hire a professional just to make sure we haven’t overlooked anyone.”

Clark, Hellyer and Stephens are still in the mix, according to sources. But at least two other potential candidates contacted by the recruiter declined to apply. In all, only 19 people applied the first time.

All this has led to speculation that highly popular Dean Crowley, who is retiring after more than 20 years on the job, the last six as commissioner, might be coaxed into staying on the job for at least another school year while the committee sorts things out.

No way, Crowley said emphatically.

“I’ve got my retirement plans in order,” Crowley, 65, said. “I’ve got everything in place and I won’t be back.”

CLUB VOLLEYBALL

The club volleyball season reaches a crescendo in the next few weeks, beginning today in Northern California with the start of the 16th annual Volleyball Festival, the largest event of its kind for girls in the world.

The weeklong event utilizes more than 100 sites around the Sacramento area and includes more than 9,000 participants ages 12 and up. It culminates Friday with championship matches in four age-group divisions at UC Davis.

Orange County Volleyball Club NIKE of Newport Beach is defending 18-under champion and features some of the county’s top volleyball players, including 1998 Times Player of the Year April Ross (Newport Harbor), a junior outside hitter and one of the hottest recruiting prospects in the country. Danielle Bauer (Foothill), a senior middle blocker who has signed with UC Santa Barbara, and two-time all-county senior Chanda McLeod of Marina, who will attend Arkansas, are also on the team. The three started on last year’s 18s champion and were teammates on the 1996 OCVBC team that won the Festival’s 16s title.

Another top contender is the Saddleback Volleyball Club of Irvine, headed by all-county performer Jennifer Carey, a Newport Harbor senior setter who will attend Hawaii. Also playing are Santa Margarita senior outside hitter Sarah Ballog, who is headed to Northwestern, and San Clemente senior setter Gretchen Maurer, who will attend Washington.

The team limps into the Festival after having been upset in last month’s Southern California Volleyball Assn. championship game by Ichiban of Lakewood.

Ichiban is skipping the event in Sacramento to participate in the Junior Olympics, which begins Wednesday in New Orleans. Asics Nova of Long Beach, the 1997 16s titlist featuring several Orange County standouts will also compete at the Junior Olympics. Two-time all-Orange County setter Tracy Lindquist, a senior from Ocean View who has signed with USC, leads Nova. She is a two-time all-tournament selection and was voted most valuable player in the 16s division in 1997. La Habra’s senior setter Amanda Siler, who will play at Santa Clara, is also on the team.

The boys’ Junior Olympics begins July 7, also in New Orleans, with Balboa Bay of Newport Beach as the defending 18s champion. Fountain Valley senior Brad Keenan (Pepperdine) and and Corona del Mar senior Dennis Alshuler (Princeton) return for Balboa Bay. Corona del Mar junior setter Kevin Hansen and junior outside hitter Greg Stampley are up from the 16s team that finished third in the nation last season.

Saddleback VBC also has a fine contingent in the 18s, led by El Toro senior James Donovan. Surf City VBC of Huntington Beach is led by Marina junior outside hitter Jeff Wootton.

ON THE MOVE

Brian Gaeta, a three-sport standout at Edison last season, is transferring to Newport Harbor, his mother Jackie Gaeta said.

Gaeta started as a freshman in volleyball and soccer and also played football. Newport Harbor won the 1999 Southern Section Division I boys’ volleyball championship. His father, Lee Gaeta, is a vice principal at Newport Harbor.

CLOSING POINTS

Marina won the girls’ soccer championship at the L.A. Watts Summer Games Sunday at Cal State Dominguez Hills with a 3-0 victory over La Canada Flintridge Sacred Heart. Marina’s Lizzie Torres was named the MVP in the tournament, which featured 41 high schools. Erin McDannold, Jennifer Alban and Jennifer Kindschi scored goals for the Vikings in the final. Marina goalkeepers Delaney Cari and Jennifer Orrison gave up only two goals in six tournament games.

The Edison girls’ basketball team had a good showing at the Southern California College Tournament of Champions June 17-20, but lost to Riverside North in the championship game. Esperanza beat Mater Dei to finish third. . . . Rene Bergeron, a student-teacher and former player at Los Alamitos, has emerged as the leading candidate to replace Jami Shannon as Griffins’ softball coach, several sources at Los Alamitos said.

Staff writers Michael Itagaki and Martin Henderson contributed to this story.