DICATO DOES SWIMMINGLY.Byline: Heather Gripp Staff Writer SIMI VALLEY Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. - Melissa Dicato's water polo water polo, swimming game encompassing features of soccer, football, basketball, and hockey. The object of the game is to maneuver, by head, feet, or hand, a leather-covered ball 27 to 28 in. skills were so raw her freshman team coach resisted putting her in games even when the varsity coach told him everyone was to play during a tournament. These days, the only reluctance coaches of the Royal High of Simi Valley girls' water polo team have regarding Dicato is taking her out of games. As the epitome of a program reaching new heights, Dicato has gone from a freshman who couldn't swim to a senior playing a crucial role for a team on the verge On the Verge (or The Geography of Yearning) is a play written by Eric Overmyer. It makes extensive use of esoteric language and pop culture references from the late nineteenth century to 1955. of its first Southern Section title. Dicato and the rest of the second-seeded Highlanders make their first appearance in a Southern Section title game when they face No. 1 Santa Barbara Santa Barbara (săn'tə bär`brə, –bərə), city (1990 pop. 85,571), seat of Santa Barbara co., S Calif., on the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1850. in the Div. IV final at 6 tonight at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach. ``Back when we were freshmen, I never thought we'd be able to do this,'' Royal senior Christine Cruz said. ``This is a dream. The way we were as freshmen, we would have never imagined this.'' Dicato, Cruz, Katie Harding and Sharleanna Richardson are the lone members of that freshman class to remain with the program all four years. Their knowledge of the sport was extremely limited back then, with some of them playing simply because Dicato had a relative who had played and she thought it might be fun for her and her friends to try. Having Dicato the past four seasons in the program would have been almost as difficult to foresee as the team's success. She appeared out of place even among beginners. ``For someone who couldn't even swim, she's come so far,'' Royal coach Devin Hurst said. ``She was this little scrawny girl, this little princess-type girl and she came out for a pretty rough sport. ... ``We were embarrassed to put her in there when she started. I remember when she was a freshman, we were at a tournament and everyone was getting in and she was just sitting there. I told (the coach) to put her in. He said no. Finally he did and she looked like she was dying out there. ``But ever since that, she's got better and she's been the most improved player In some sports, a Most Improved Player award is given to players who have improved the most over the year.
v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. to see how much she improved.'' Dicato is in her third varsity season. The driver is among the Highlanders' leading scorers and is described by Hurst as ``a first team All-Southern Section player for sure.'' She has the chance to add Southern Section champion to the list, an accomplishment Dicato and her classmates Classmates can refer to either:
A lineup A criminal investigation technique in which the police arrange a number of individuals in a row before a witness to a crime and ask the witness to identify which, if any, of the individuals committed the crime. loaded with standouts - from the four seniors to junior goalkeeper Brandy Creek - produced Royal's first Marmonte League The Marmonte League is a high school sports league primarily made up of schools from Ventura County. The Marmonte Leauge is part of the CIF Southern Section. Click here to view the league schedule. title this year. The Highlanders (23-7) cruised through the first three rounds of playoffs, dominating No. 3 Cabrillo of Lompoc in the semifinals. The final test is two-time defending champion defending champion n (SPORT) → defensor/a m/f del título defending champion n (Sport) → champion(ne) en titre Santa Barbara (28-2). ``It's amazing,'' Dicato said. ``It hasn't even really clicked yet - we're going to the finals. This is what we've waited for for so long. We're ready to take it all.'' Heather Gripp, (818)713-3607 heather.gripp(at)dailynews.com AT A GLANCE What: Girls' water polo Southern Section Div. IV final Who: No. 1 Santa Barbara (28-2) vs. No. 2 Royal (23-7) When: Today, 6 p.m. Where: Belmont Plaza, Long Beach CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: Standout Melissa Dicato barely could swim when she first joined the Royal girls' water polo team as a freshman. Tina Burch/Staff Photographer Box: AT A GLANCE (see text) |
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