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Jamie Gresh of Corona del Mar High has been selected the 2013 tennis coach of the year.
Jamie Gresh of Corona del Mar High has been selected the 2013 tennis coach of the year.
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NEWPORT BEACH – Since University has dominated Orange County boys tennis the better part of the last decade, it’s easy to forget Corona del Mar has just as many all-time championships and three more in Division 1.

Dozens of plaques commemorating the program’s accomplishments serve as a reminder to anyone who passes through the walkway connecting the high school’s tennis courts.

Jamie Gresh sees them every day. He was well aware of the program’s history and the ensuing expectations when he took over the boys side of the program from Brian Ricker last summer.

But despite it being his first season as a varsity head coach, Gresh, 33, helped Corona del Mar’s 2013 team more than live up to the program’s rich history. The Sea Kings accomplished their goal of making it to the CIF title match and, with their only four losses coming against University’s star-studded squad, made a good argument for being SoCal’s second-best team.


2013 All-County boys tennis team

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“All of my prior playing history and prior coaching history I feel had set me up to be confident,” said Gresh, who has been selected the Register’s boys tennis coach of the year. “I think that’s what it takes as a coach. You have to be confident in your ability, in your decisions. That kind of rubs off on your kids.”

Gresh, a native of Rhode Island and former standout at Penn State, got his first taste of coaching as an assistant at Brown University from 2005-08. He also coached JV for two years at Newport Harbor before coming to Corona del Mar.

Anchored by All-American senior Alec Adamson and juniors Carson Williams and Josh Kliger, Corona del Mar earned signature wins over Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach and Harvard-Westlake of Studio City en route to the CIF final. The run ended with a 13-5 loss to University, but Gresh couldn’t be more proud of his players.

“I know the guys are looking forward to another season,” he said. “You just want the kids to be into it. You want them to take pride in what they do. These kids definitely do.”