Mater Dei program soars under Olympian

SANTA ANA Chris Segesman interviewed for two coaching positions after he guided Sonora’s boys water polo team in 2004: Mater Dei and Corona del Mar.

At the time, the programs could not have been much different. Mater Dei didn’t have a pool or much tradition. Corona del Mar featured one of Orange County’s most scenic, 50-meter pools along with a rich heritage of several CIF championships.

Mater Dei offered Segesman its position, and the 2004 Olympian and former collegiate All-American at Long Beach State accepted.

———————————————

Previews for the CIF-SS finals

Updated CIF water polo playoff brackets

OCVarsity Hot Shots: Water polo semifinals sizzle

———————————————

Segesman said he took Mater Dei’s offer before hearing back from Corona del Mar but withdrew his name from consideration at the traditional power.

“The thing that intrigued me about this place is that I had the opportunity to build a program from nothing,” Segesman said recently of Mater Dei.

As the setting for Saturday’s CIF Division 1 finals suggests, Mater Dei has come a long way quickly under the guidance of Segesman, 32.

The Monarchs (30-0) will vie for an undefeated season and second consecutive Division 1 crown when they take on rival El Toro (28-3) at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center in Irvine at 7 p.m. Foxsportsnet.com will stream the match live.

Mater Dei will carry a Southern Section-record 47-match winning streak into the duel. And since the Monarchs also won CIF Division 2 titles in 2008-2009, they are seeking a fourth consecutive Southern Section title.

The last county school to claim four consecutive CIF championships was Newport Harbor under Olympic coach Bill Barnett from 1977-1980.

“We’re on the top of the mountain right now and we can get knocked down the next round,” Segesman said earlier in the playoffs. “But we’re going to keep working hard no matter what happens.”

BUILD A POWER

Segesman believes one of the key factors to Mater Dei’s success has been the introduction of Regency, a club team that serves as the offseason home for Mater Dei players.

At first, former SOCAL coach Jeff Wherry ran the club because of Southern Section’s association rules prohibited all coaches from working with their players year round. But after the elimination of the association rule, Segesman took over Regency.

“I didn’t want my kids going off and playing for five different clubs,” Segesman said of the reason for starting Regency.

“Regency has been probably the best thing that ever happened to this program because the guys play 60 to 80 games in the offseason – and together. That’s huge.”

Without a pool, Mater Dei first started to train evenings under Segesman at Woollett. The Monarchs’ on-campus pool arrived later -- as did the teams’ success.

In Segesman’s first season, Mater Dei lost to Villa Park, 6-2, in the CIF Division 2 quarterfinals in 2005. The next season, the Monarchs fell to El Dorado, 11-9, in the first round of the CIF Division 2 playoffs.

But in his third season, Mater Dei reached the CIF Division 2 finals in 2007. The Monarchs fell to Villa Park but have won a section title every season since.

“It was rocky at first,” Segesman said of Mater Dei’s ascent. “Then, they (the players) just caught on.”

Segesman also stresses conditioning and teamwork.

Like all Mater Dei sports programs, Segesman said the boys water polo team receives weight training from Athletic Republic, an outside company. Segesman helps craft the program with a trainer.

“I don’t know if there is another team that works as hard together, year-round, as we do,” Segesman said. “From the weight room, to the swim training, to the summer time. … People don’t understand what we do. It’s different than other high schools.”

UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT

The expectations for Mater Dei’s 2011 season began to swell during the summer.

Regency’s 18-and-under squad reached the finals of the Junior Olympics in Irvine. Regency lost to Stanford, a team loaded with nine future collegians bound for Division 1 programs, in the gold-medal game but it was clear that Mater Dei would be a force in the fall.

And unlike 2010, Mater Dei would have junior center Jon Walters, who was ruled ineligible last season because of his transfer from Newport Harbor.

“(Mater Dei) won’t lose a game this year,” Stanford’s Colin Mulcahy said after the Junior Olympics. “No way.”

Mater Dei hasn’t lost or even come close to losing. The Monarchs smallest margin of victory has been five goals.

Mater Dei’s schedule didn’t include a nonleague against El Toro. Chargers athletic director John Johansen said he pulled the plug on the teams’ nonleague game because too many El Toro players at different levels were injured against Mater Dei. “It was my decision,” Johansen said. “(Safety) is always going to be first.”

Servite’s varsity forfeited its Trinity League game against Mater Dei after one of its players was allegedly assaulted by a Mater Dei junior player in a tournament match.

Segesman said his team plays “aggressive, hard water polo.”

“We just play strong,” he said. “They don’t play dirty. They play hard and they play aggressive. They are taught the offense, defense, 6-on-5, the tactics, for the next level. … My goal is to develop players and that is what I am trying to do.”

But on Saturday, Mater Dei will be after the victory is wants most in 2011. The Monarchs also face the last team to beat them -- El Toro -- for the Division 1 crown.

“I just want another championship,” Mater Dei senior Bret Bonanni said. “If it does get close, we’ll just rely on each other. As long as we don’t have one person trying to be the hero, we’ll be fine. It’s all a team effort.”