GIRLS' WATER POLO: DELGADO NOW LEADS THE WAY JUNIOR DRIVER HAS EMERGED AS ONE OF THE TOP PLAYERS FOR THOUSAND OAKS.

Byline: IVAN OROZCO Staff Writer

THOUSAND OAKS - Whitney Delgado switched roles.

Last season, Delgado was a sophomore who developed her water polo skills while playing behind a group of seniors at Thousand Oaks High. But the driver opened eyes in the compeititive Marmonte League and earned All-CIF Div. IV third-team honors.

This season, Delgado has become the Lancers' leader and go-to attacker.

``(Delgado) had a tremendous group of seniors ahead of her last year,'' Thousand Oaks coach Mike Giles said. ``But what that did is prove she can play at the varsity level, except now, the team is playing around her. She's no secret.''

Kat Plummer, Caitlin Meehan and Jenna Conway, who helped the Lancers reach the second round of the Div. IV playoffs last season before being eliminated by Cabrillo of Lompoc, have all graduated, leaving Delgado, a junior, as the only returning letterman for the Lancers (8-4, 4-2).

Thousand Oaks' roster includes seniors Rachel Rodriguez, Audra Wheatley, Cheyene Conway, Kristina Ditri and Nerab Yakubi, but Delgado has earned such respect from her teammates that they chose her to be one of the team's captains.

``One of the biggest differences this year is that this team is a group that enjoys playing together, no matter the circumstances,'' Giles said. ``(Delgado) is a big part of that. She's been able to get her shots off this year while helping her teammates improve.''

Delgado has scored 39 goals in the Lancers' first 11 games, including four against Crescenta Valley, ranked No. 6 in Div. IV.

Her presence in the pool has not gone unnoticed. She has become the focal point of the opposition, prompting rivals to adjust their defenses to shut her down.

Agoura coach Jason Rosenthal witnessed firsthand Delgado's development while coaching her with the South Coast and Los Angeles clubs through Delgado's middle-school years.

``Whitney Delgado is a smart player,'' Rosenthal said. ``She shouts out the calls in the pool. She's real aggressive on defense, has swim speed. She's all you want in a player.''

Royal of Simi Valley coach Matt Frasier agrees.

``You have to come out and put your best defender on her,'' Frasier said.

Delgado was double-teamed for most of the Lancers' loss last week to Agoura, the top-ranked team in Div. II. The Chargers held Degaldo to two goals.

``It's really frustrating,'' Delgado said of being the center of attention. ``I'm trying to play through it and not let it get to me. You can double-team me, but I'm still going to look to score.

``I don't really find any kind of pressure. If there is, I try to ignore it. Every team has someone to play a certain role, and I just try to play mine.''

Agoura's Casey Flacks was part of the Chargers' game plan to slow Delgado. Flacks is a longtime friend of Delgado, and the two have played on the same club teams.

``It's weird but it's good for us to play against the best on the other team,'' Flacks said. ``She's definitely a key player that we have to shut down.

``I love having her on my team more than playing against her. She's like a little sister to me. We teach each other a lot of different things. I work with her on driving and swim speed, and we give each other confidence.''

Delgado's confidence in her game comes from the experience she gained during her middle school years in club water polo before coming to Thousand Oaks.

The 16-year-old is no stranger to the Lancers' pool, because her older brothers, Preston, 22, who helps coach the Lancers' freshman and sophomore teams, and Quinn, 20, Agoura's junior varsity coach, were standouts at Thousand Oaks.

Delgado became interested in the sport after watching her brothers.

``I always followed what my brothers did being a little kid,'' Delgado said. ``They played baseball, I'd play softball; they'd try basketball, I'd try basketball.''

Delgado, a third-year varsity player, is quick to credit her brothers for much of her success and the motivation to continue to be a standout player. But she tries not to let the pressure of living up to her brothers' success.

``I don't know if she thinks there's a shadow ... there's definitely not,'' Quinn Delgado said. ``She proves that in the water every day.

``She definitely has to step up more than every other player on the team, because she's getting triple-, double-teamed. I think she likes the challenge. If she didn't, then she's in the wrong sport. She knows what her role is.''

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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

BOYS

DJ Gay, Poly, Sr.

Basketball

Gay scored a season area-best 56 points Friday in a 75-72 overtime victory over Van Nuys in a Sunset Six League game. The 5-foot-10 guard scored 129 points in three games last week, an average of 43 points per game.

GIRLS

Nadia Dan, Harvard-Westlake, Jr.

Water polo

Dan scored all 11 of her team's goals Wednesday in Harvard-Westlake of Studio City's 11-7 victory over Mission League rival Louisville of Woodland Hills.

UP & COMER

Angelica Sahagun, Canyon, Fr.

Basketball

Sahagun scored a game-high 13 points Saturday, all in the second half, to lead Canyon to a 52-34 victory over Chatsworth in the Ladies' New Year's Ball at College of the Canyons. The point guard has averaged 10.2 points per game for the Cowboys this season.

TRIVIAL MATTERS

The Hart of Newhall girls' basketball team, ranked No.1 in the area by the Daily News, gave up a season low in points Saturday in a 39-25 victory over Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks. The last time the Indians surrendered fewer than 25 points in a game? On Jan. 21 last year, Hart defeated Burbank 62-21 in a Foothill League game.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, 6 boxes

Photo:

(1) Junior driver Whitney Delgado leads the Thousand Oaks girls' water polo team with 39 goals this season.

Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News

(2) no caption (DJ GAY)

Box:

(1) ATHLETES OF THE WEEK (see text)

(2) UP & COMER (see text)

(3) TRIVIAL MATTERS (see text)

(4) THEY SAID IT

(5) OTHER TOP PERFORMERS

(6) DAY PLANNER