Locals shine at Junior Olympics

Mike Sciacca

Seven Laguna Beach athletes returned home this week from Louisville,

Ky. after participating in the boys’ Junior Olympics for indoor

volleyball.

The 23rd annual event attracted teams from throughout the nation as

well as Puerto Rico.

Nick Aronoff, a senior this fall at Laguna Beach High, played for the

Long Beach Club 17’s team that finished second and won the silver medal

in the 17 Open Division.

It was the second consecutive year that Aronoff played on a silver

medal team. In each of the two years, his teams finished second to

Torrimar of Puerto Rico.

Trey Chapel, a junior-to-be at Laguna Beach High, played on the So Cal

Volleyball Club 17-1 squad that finished four spots below Aronoff’s team.

SCVC was sixth overall in the 17 Open Division.

Another Laguna Beach High player, senior Matt Anderson, played for the

Balboa Bay 17-Blue team that placed 16th in the 17 Open Division.

Sophomore Andrew Chapel, the younger brother of Trey, helped guide the

So Cal Volleyball Club 15’s to a seventh place showing in the 15’s

Division.

Three other Laguna Beach athletes also competed in the tournament.

Trent Junkin, a senior at Santa Margarita High, played for Balboa Bay

17-White that finished 29th in the 17 Club Division.

Cameron Brown, a freshman this fall at Santa Margarita, along with

Jordan Martin, an incoming freshman at St. Margaret’s, played for the

Laguna Beach Volleyball Club team that placed 17th in the 14’s Division

and won the Bronze Division championship.