ROYAL TRIO CONTINUES WINNING LEGACY; HIGHLANDERS BRING SUCCESS TO PEPPERDINE.Byline: Heather Gripp Daily News Staff Writer In high school they were part of a 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. dynasty. Now Jack Kocur, Andy Bruininga and Chris Richeson hope what they just accomplished in college is the beginning of another legacy. Winning is nothing new to Kocur, Bruininga and Richeson. All three are products of Royal High's water polo program, which has won 17 consecutive 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. titles. Playing for Pepperdine this year, Kocur, Bruininga and Richeson helped the Waves to their first NCAA NCAA abbr. National Collegiate Athletic Association water polo title, the championship season coming just one season after a mediocre me·di·o·cre adj. Moderate to inferior in quality; ordinary. See Synonyms at average. [French médiocre, from Latin mediocris : medius, middle; see medhyo- 10-18 run in 1996. Richeson picked up a Southern Section title with the Highlanders his junior year but said a national title is something special. ``Nothing compares to this,'' he said. ``This is much better than (a CIF (1) (Common Intermediate Format) A standard video format used in videoconferencing. CIF formats are defined by their resolution, and standards both above and below the original resolution have been established. The original CIF is also known as Full CIF (FCIF). title). It was a pretty special moment.'' For Bruininga and Kocur, the championship is all the more special because they fell just short of winning Southern Section titles. ``I've been so close to winning and to finally do it is unbelievable,'' said Bruininga, the senior driver who scored the Waves' winning goal in an 8-7 victory over USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. in the championship game two weeks ago. ``I guess being persistent is the way to go. It's just awesome.'' The Waves have had their share of success in the past - 13 Pepperdine teams have posted 20-plus win seasons and they have finished the season ranked among the top 10 in 22 of their 23 seasons. Without a title, however, recognition was not widespread. ``We weren't thought of as a big powerhouse team,'' Bruininga said. ``This season really helps. Now that we have a winning tradition, it should help get good recruits and build up the team for next year.'' Coach Terry Schroeder is also optimistic op·ti·mist n. 1. One who usually expects a favorable outcome. 2. A believer in philosophical optimism. op about the future. ``We've got a good bunch of guys A Bunch of Guys (BOGs), or Group of Guys (GOGs) are terms used by counter-terrorism officials to refer to small, self-organizing terrorist cells.[1] BOGs typically have little to no contact with global terrorist groups like al Qaeda, so they independently plan and who have got a taste of winning the national championship and know what it's like to win,'' he said. ``It also will help with recruiting.'' Like Bruininga, Kocur and Richeson, some of those recruits will likely come from Royal. Schroeder said the friendship and mutual respect that exists between him and Royal coach Steve Snyder is part of the reason so many Highlanders end up at Pepperdine. Bruininga said his decision was based on friendship and tradition. ``A lot of people from Royal had gone to Pepperdine, so I kind of wanted to go to Pepperdine when I was in high school,'' he said. ``Jack helped me a lot while I was there. ``Having a really good friend on the team helps. I think that's why we won this year, we're all so close.'' Added Schroeder, ``I think the first tournament of the year, I knew we'd have a shot at (the national championship). I knew we had the pieces, it was just putting them together. Then, that was one of our strongest points, our chemistry.'' The Waves' winning formula produced an undefeated record in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation is a college athletic conference whose member teams are located in the western United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I. play and an overtime win against USC for the national championship. Bruininga clinched the victory with 44 seconds left in the second period of overtime. ``It was just unexplainable,'' Bruininga said. ``Doing it was just the best feeling in my life. I went under water and started crying, then we all came together and started celebrating.'' With four starters returning, the Waves believe there will be plenty of reasons to celebrate in the future, too. ``We should have a good team next year,'' said Richeson. ``We should still have a good shot at it.'' Kocur and Bruininga, however, move on. Kocur, the Waves' third-leading scorer with 46 points this season, recently graduated. Bruininga, a 22-year-old sports medicine sports medicine, branch of medicine concerned with physical fitness and with the treatment and prevention of injuries and other disorders related to sports. Knee, leg, back, and shoulder injuries; stiffness and pain in joints; tendinitis; "tennis elbow"; and major, is expecting to graduate next December. ``I'll have to sit out and watch next year,'' Bruininga said, noting he has used up his athletic eligibility. ``That'll be the hardest part of my career.'' CAPTION(S): 2 Photos PHOTO (1) Terry Schroeder Pepperdine water polo coach (2) Former Royal High water polo standouts Chris Richeson, left, Andy Bruininga, center, and Jack Kocur helped Pepperdine win the national title. Michael Owen
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