2008 IN REVIEW:

Sometimes the biggest local news is made well beyond the parameters of Newport-Mesa, as was the case with the majority of the Top 10 sports stories of 2008, as selected by the Daily Pilot Staff. This year’s fare was dominated by events outside domestic borders, on the world stage of the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing China.

1 Misty May-Treanor: The Newport Harbor High graduate solidified her status as the best women’s beach volleyball player ever by adding numerous titles and accolades, foremost being her second Olympic gold medal.

The tandem of May-Treanor and partner Kerri Walsh did not lose a set in seven matches in Beijing, some of which served as staples for NBC’s prime-time television coverage.

May-Treanor was named Most Outstanding Player of the Olympic tournament, an honor she also either claimed or shared on the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals and Federation Internationale de Volleyball tours.

She became the first female to earn 100 AVP tournament titles, pocketing 12 top prizes on that circuit to go with four FIVB tournament crowns in 2008.

Her celebrity status escalated with myriad television appearances on talk shows, even prime-time programs, as well as the frequent coverage of her on-court exploits.

It was one such foray on the airwaves, however, that brought adversity, as she ruptured her left Achilles tendon while practicing for the popular “Dancing With the Stars,” television program. The injury will sideline her for the 2009 beach volleyball season.

2 Aaron Peirsol’s golden touch: The Newport Harbor High product swam to two gold medals in Beijing, upping his career total in that department to five and giving him seven Olympic medals, including two silver, in three Olympiads.

In Beijing, he topped the field in the 100-meter backstroke, setting a world record with a time of 52.54 seconds.

He was also favored to win the 200 back, but was upset by fellow American Ryan Lochte and settled for a silver medal.

Peirsol added his second gold medal by leading off the 400 medley relay, that helped Michael Phelps add to what became his record-setting total of eight gold medals. The winning time of 3:29.34 was a world record.

3 Surprising gold rush: The United States men’s volleyball team, ranked No. 3 in the world at the time, surprised many by winning Olympic gold in Beijing. The triumph, giving the Americans their first gold medal in 20 years, was due in no small part to the contributions of Corona del Mar High product Kevin Hansen,. UC Irvine men’s coach John Speraw and part-time Newport Beach resident Reid Priddy.

Hansen, a backup to veteran setter Lloy Ball, played throughout the tournament, including most of a preliminary round match in which Ball was sidelined by an injury.

Speraw was an assistant to Coach Hugh McCutcheon, who missed the team’s first three matches after a knife attack in Beijing left his father-in-law, Todd Bachman, dead and his mother-in-law, Barbara Bachman, seriously wounded.

Priddy was a starting outside hitter, whose strong hitting and serving helped the Americans top defending Olympic champion Brazil, 20-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-23, in the final.

4 Vanguard claims crown: The Vanguard University women’s basketball team, which did not win the Golden State Athletic Conference title for the first time in six seasons, rallied to claim the program’s first NAIA Division I national championship.

The Lions, ranked No. 4 in the final national poll, upset the No. 1 seed, then-unbeaten Union University of Tennessee, 74-72, in a dramatic semifinal at Oman Arena in Jackson, Tenn.

Coach Russ Davis’ squad then handled Tennessee-based Trevecca Nazarene, 72-59, in the title game to become the first California school to win the national title.

Vanguard won five games in six days at the national tournament to finish 28-5. The Lions came into the previous two NAIA tournaments as the top seed, but lost both times in the semifinals.

Senior Jessica Richter earned first-team All-American honors for a third straight year and was named MVP of the national tournament.

Senior Melissa Cook, who made the winning basket with six seconds left against Union, was named second-team All-American, while Davis captured NAIA Division I Coach of the Year honors.

5 Back Bay girls’ water polo: The cross-town rivalry between Newport Harbor and Corona del Mar high schools generated waves throughout the season, with each school claiming a postseason victory over the other.

Newport Harbor defeated CdM, 6-5, in overtime in the CIF Southern Section Division I championship game.

CdM, which won two of the six meetings during the season, earned some revenge by claiming a 6-5 victory in the third-place game of the CIF Masters Tournament.

It was the second section crown in three seasons, the fourth overall, for Newport Harbor, which finished 30-5.

CdM wound up 27-8.

Sailors senior utility player Mimi Bury and CdM junior goalie Kate Baldoni shared Player of the Year laurels on the Newport-Mesa Dream Team and both were first-team All-CIF Southern Section honorees.

6 UCI quartet, helps USA claim silver: The United States men’s water polo team, ranked ninth in the world coming in, advanced to the title game in Beijing, before falling to top seed and defending champion Hungary, 14-10.

Former Anteaters Ryan Bailey and Jeff Powers played pivotal roles for the Americans, who also benefited from the efforts of UCI products Tim Hutten and Rick Merlo. Bailey and Powers each scored six goals in the tournament, which produced the Americans’ first medal since 1988.

7 CdM girls win state: The Corona del Mar High girls’ cross country team claimed the program’s sixth CIF State Division III title, tying University High of San Francisco for the most state crowns overall.

Coach Bill Sumner’s Sea Kings also claimed their fifth straight CIF Southern Section Division III championship.

Junior Melanie Powers led the way, finishing sixth at the state meet in Fresno and fourth in the Division III section final.

Senior Laura Bilder was 18th at the state meet and eighth at the section championships.

CdM now has 10 section titles.

8 CdM football: Coming off a 4-5 season after which its coach was fired, the Sea Kings advanced to the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Southern Division playoffs under first-year head man Jason Hitchens.

Senior quarterback Mitch Sands threw 21 touchdown passes on his way to being named Newport-Mesa Player of the Year.

The Sea Kings posted a school regular-season record 288 points and their 361 points in 2008 ranked second in CdM single-season annals, topped only by the 1995 section semifinalist (366).

9 Toshiba Classic: More than one-third of the tournament’s record crowd of 82,500 got seven holes of bonus golf on the final day, before Bernhard Langer topped defending champion Jay Haas to claim the crown in the 14th edition at Newport Beach Country Club.

Langer sank a 12-foot putt on the 54th and final hole of regulation to tie Haas at 14-under-par 199. The two players each had two birdies in the first six playoff holes, before Langer tapped in for the winning birdie on No. 18.

The event produced at least $1 million in charitable proceeds that went to Hoag Hospital.

10 UCI baseball: The Anteaters came within three outs of a return trip to the College World Series, before host LSU rallied for five runs in the ninth to erase a 7-4 deficit and even the best-of-three Super Regional at one game apiece.

The Tigers then won the decisive third game, 21-7, to advance to Omaha and end the season for the Anteaters (42-18).

UCI advanced to the Super Regionals by winning the Lincoln Regional, hosted by the University of Nebraska.

OTHERS:

 Part-time Corona del Mar resident Tiger Woods wins the U.S. Open in dramatic fashion on an injured knee that later required reconstructive surgery.

 Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant, a Newport Coast resident, followed up winning the NBA’s MVP award by helping Team USA capture a gold medal in Beijing.

 A collection of locals, including Costa Mesa High product and high jumper Sharon Day, competed in various sports in the Beijing Olympics.

 The UCI men’s soccer team earned the program’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament and won a second-round game, before being eliminated in the round of 16.

 The girls tennis teams from CdM High and Sage Hill School advanced to the CIF Southern Section title match in their respective divisions.

 The ninth annual Daily Pilot Cup youth soccer tournament included more than 160 teams and an estimated 2,300 players. The Rea Elementary boys won the fifth- and sixth-grade gold division title for the seventh time, outscoring opponents, 27-1.

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at [email protected].