Kaleigh Gilchrist received perhaps the ultimate compliment during the second half of the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 girls water polo final.
Trailing by four goals, a desperate Dos Pueblos of Goleta showed its respect by assigning U.S. national team attacker Kiley Neushul to guard Gilchrist
Yes, if teams wanted to beat Newport Harbor in 2009-2010, they had to slow down the Sailors’ strong-armed center.
For most teams, Gilchrist was too difficult to handle. The USC-bound senior consistently found ways to beat opponents, and for her play, is the Register’s 2009-10 girls water polo player of the year.
Gilchrist led the Division 1 runner-up in not just scoring (94 goals) but also assists (46) and steals (45).
“Amazing,” teammate Kate Klippert said. “She has been blowing our minds ever since freshman year.”
In leading the Sailors to the title in the ultra-competitive Sunset League, Gilchrist gave Newport Harbor a strong presence at 2 meters, both in her ability to score and draw ejections. She drew four ejections in an 8-7 loss against Dos Pueblos in the finals.
Gilchrist also could strike after a foul outside 5 meters or find a corner shooting on the power play.
“Her biggest plus is you may stop her some of the time but not all of the time,” Newport Harbor coach Bill Barnett said in an e-mail.
Not even a two-week break in January for a trip to the ISA World Junior Surfing Championships in New Zealand seemed to throw Gilchrist off.
“When I think of Gilchrist, the first word that comes to my mind is consistency,” Edison coach Diggy Riley wrote in an e-mail.
“She came to play every game and always seemed to be playing at the highest level, both physically and mentally.”
Gilchrist also routinely showed no fear of the big moments.
In building off her clutch performances from past seasons, Gilchrist scored the final two goals to lift the Sailors to a 5-3 victory against Santa Barbara in the quarterfinals.
And in the final minutes of the Division 1 final, it was Gilchrist who forced Dos Pueblos goalie Sami Hill to make a huge, victory-saving block with 30 seconds left.
“We definitely wanted to win that last game – I think we should have,” Gilchrist said. “I wish we could have gone out with a Division 1 championship but overall, it was a really fun year.”
For all her talent with a water polo ball, Gilchrist believes she is a better surfer. She tied for ninth at the junior worlds.
But at USC, the girl nicknamed “Barrel” hopes to continue to balance the two sports – just as she did at Newport Harbor. Sometimes, she worked in a surf session before practice.
“She always gets better (in water polo),” Klippert said of Gilchrist. “(USC coach) Jovan (Vavic) is going to have his hands full.”
