Daily Pilot Girls’ Water Polo Dream Team: Newport Harbor enjoyed gift of Gabby
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Gabby Alexson came into every match for the Newport Harbor High girls’ water polo team knowing the opponent would likely run a drop defense.
The plan involved limiting the sophomore center in front of the cage, forcing her teammates to take outside shots.
It’s a strategy that Alexson could take as a compliment. She also took it as motivation.
“It almost gives me more drive to be able to go and beat that,” she said. “I don’t want them to break down my play.”
Alexson had three Orange Lutheran players in the vicinity as she scored the biggest goal of the Sailors’ season on Feb. 18. She still took the excellent entry pass from fellow sophomore Madison Mack, turned and scored, setting off a wild celebration at Orange Coast College.
Newport Harbor had just dethroned the two-time defending CIF Southern Section Open Division champion in the semifinals, 12-11 in the second sudden-death overtime period, booking its own trip to the title match.
Alexson, who shined for Newport Harbor all season at center, is the 2024-25 Daily Pilot Dream Team Player of the Year.
The goal was symbolic of personal growth for Alexson, Sailors coach Ross Sinclair said.
“It was a big growing moment for her,” he said. “Last year, I think she maybe would have tried to play for a call in that moment. In those moments, the refs want to see you finish.”
Alexson, who stands 5-foot-9, turned into the primary center upon the graduation of Ryan Chalupnik, last year’s Dream Team Player of the Year. She provided mentorship for freshman Caroline Daniel, another two-meter player with big-time potential.
Alexson shared Sunset League MVP honors with teammate Emerson Mulvey and was a first-team All-CIF selection, also earning Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions all-tournament team accolades.
The Sunset League champions finished third in Santa Barbara, a position they held for much of the season before dethroning Orange Lutheran and advancing to their first CIF final since 2022. Newport Harbor (26-6) lost to Oaks Christian in the Open Division title game but will return a deep team next year, as Sinclair regularly made six-for-six line changes.
Last year, it was Alexson, Mack and Valery Verdugo as the three freshmen earning significant varsity minutes for the Sailors. This year, it was Daniel, Addison Ting and Campbell Pence.
“I think it’s so cool that we have such young talent,” Alexson said. “The three freshmen this year, I’ve been playing with them since I was 12, too. It’s just really cool to have them all come together in high school.”
Alexson will remain a player to watch. She’s earned two USA Water Polo Junior Olympics titles with Newport, in the 12-and-under and 14U age groups, and hopes for another one this summer in 16U. She also has international experience, playing for the Cadet National Team at the Pan Am U19 Championships in El Salvador and the U16 World Championships in Turkey last year.
At the Newport Harbor banquet this year, Sinclair introduced her as one of the best centers in the country, easily in high school.
The praise makes Alexson smile. She knows she’ll put in the work to back them up.
“I feel like a lot of my hard work has been paying off,” she said. “I just don’t want to hit a peak. I want to keep on going up … If Ross thinks that I’m elite, then I have to keep on training like that.”
Here’s a look at the coach of the year, first-team and second-team honorees on this year’s Dream Team.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Katie Teets
Laguna Beach
Teets, in her second season in charge of the Breakers, guided a team with three senior captains but relatively little varsity experience behind that. Laguna Beach (20-12) started the season 0-6, but gained momentum toward the end and made a run that culminated in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 title, the program’s eighth CIF championship. The 10-9 win over San Clemente was Laguna Beach’s third sudden-death victory of the season, and Teets earned CIF Coach of the Year accolades.
FIRST TEAM
Reagan Weir
2M | Corona del Mar | Sr.
A four-year varsity player for the Sea Kings, the Stanford-bound Weir remained a force as a senior while serving as a valuable mentor to CdM freshmen centers Camryn Spruill and Keira Bethell. Weir scored a team-best 103 goals for CdM (19-11), helping the team finish runner-up in the Sunset League and advance to the Open Division playoffs. A first-team all-league and all-CIF selection, she also drew 56 exclusions.
Harper Price
UTIL | Newport Harbor| Sr.
Sinclair referred to Price as the Sailors’ iron woman and blue-collar worker, helping out in multiple areas and especially as a standout defender. Price, bound for UC Berkeley, is a repeat first-team Dream Team selection and was a first-team All-Sunset League pick.
Presley Jones
ATT | Laguna Beach | Sr.
Always one of the smartest players in the pool, Jones has earned multiple USA Water Polo Junior Olympics titles but capped her high school career with her first CIF championship. The Pacific Coast League MVP and Division 1 Player of the Year put away the winning penalty shot, drawn by senior teammate Kara Carver, in the CIF final. Jones, bound for UCLA, tallied 72 goals and team-best totals of 61 assists and 70 steals.
Maya Tovar
ATT| Huntington Beach | Jr.
Tovar returned from a year away from high school water polo to excel as a junior for first-year head coach Kelly Doherty. One of the Oilers’ leaders on offense, she performed well in high-pressure situations, helping Huntington Beach (12-14) finish third in the rugged Sunset League and advance to the Division 1 playoffs. Maya Tovar, whose younger sister Leila was a freshman on the team, was a first-team all-league selection.
Gaby Kelly
ATT | Edison | Sr.
First-year head coach Eric Perales didn’t know if Kelly would return to the team this year, as she spent the early part of the season overseas. But she came back and was a key player again for the Chargers. Kelly, bound for UC Santa Barbara for swimming, helped Edison (15-15) finish fourth in the Sunset League and advance to the second round of the Division 2 playoffs. She was a first-team All-CIF selection.
Didi Evans
ATT | Corona del Mar | Sr.
The left-handed attacker was a four-year varsity player who will be missed at CdM. Bound for Princeton, she was second on the team with 76 goals and led the squad with 88 assists. She was a first-team All-Sunset League selection and ended her sparkling career as a two-time CIF Southern Section Division 1 champion, starting for both teams as a freshman and junior, respectively.
Kara Carver
ATT | Laguna Beach| Sr.
Carver missed much of December due to sickness, but was undoubtedly a key piece as the Breakers came together at the end of the season, joining older sisters Rachael and Hannah in bringing the program a CIF title. Despite missing that time, Kara, a dynamic player bound for USC, finished with a team-best 73 goals along with 29 assists and 57 steals. A repeat first-team Dream Team selection, she was also first-team All-CIF.
Emerson Mulvey
UTIL| Newport Harbor| Soph.
A transfer from Mater Dei, Mulvey quickly turned into a leader inside and out of the water for the Sailors. A hard worker and vocal in practice, she was an all-tournament team selection at the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions and shared the Sunset League MVP award with Alexson. Mulvey also earned first-team All-CIF accolades.
Lydia Soderberg
GK | Newport Harbor| Sr.
The Sailors saw Soderberg become a more consistent standout in her second year starting between the pipes, becoming more explosive and getting off her line quicker. She also showed the ability to block her fair share of penalty shots. Soderberg, bound for UC Santa Barbara, was a second-team All-Sunset League selection.
SECOND TEAM
Position, Name, School, Year
GK Gabby MacAfee, Corona del Mar, Sr.
ATT Kaila Wesley, Fountain Valley, Sr.
DEF Madison Emerson, Edison, Sr.
ATT Valery Verdugo, Newport Harbor, Soph.
UTIL Lily Franzese, Huntington Beach, Jr.
UTIL Gaby Zifcak, Ocean View, Jr.
2M Sophia Winters, Costa Mesa, Sr.
ATT Brooke Shumard, Marina, Soph.
GK Siena Jumani, Laguna Beach, Sr.
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