Mill Valley's Smith Shines at Junior Olympics

Thanks in large part to the contribution of players from Mill Valley, two water polo teams from Sleepy Hollow Aquatics (SHAQ) finished in the top 25 in the nation and a third came home with a medal in its division at the recent National Junior Olympics in Irvine.

With Mill Valley’s Zoey Smith leading the way, the SHAQ 12-and-under girls, who entered the tournament as the 21st seed, won five matches in a row at one point en route to a 12th-place finish in the Platinum Division, the highest level of competition in each age group. There were 29 teams in the 12U tournament.

“They were the highlight of the whole tournament for us,” gushed coach Matt Swanson, whose club sent seven teams to the prestigious competition. “It was amazing in that no one had played competitively before this season.”

Swanson called Smith “good when we needed it.” One of the taller players on the team, she was a constant offensive threat on a powerful team that scored at least seven goals in every match while also excelling at the other end of the pool.

“The defense was phenomenal,” Swanson added. “They beat some teams from Los Angeles and San Diego that they had no business beating.”

Mill Valley’s Fiona Mosser and Ally Glave helped the SHAQ 14U girls defeat South Coast 7-6 in their final match to claim the bronze medal in the Gold Division. The team went to Irvine as the 34th seed and finished 27th overall among 46 teams, but third-best in the second-highest division.

The top placing for the SHAQ boys came from the 14-and-under team, which went 4-4 to improve from its No. 30 seeding to a 22nd place finish among 48 teams. Mill Valley’s Brandon West, who had never previously played in a competitive tournament, was a part-time starter on the surprising squad.

“The team way overachieved,” Swanson praised. “They beat some teams that were not expecting to lose to a small club from Marin County. It (angered) a lot of (the opponents’) parents.”

Mill Valley athletes also were members of two of the other teams that represented SHAQ at the Junior Olympics.

Katie Baca, one of the top swimmers on the team, had a role in the 16U girls recording three wins by one goal apiece en route to a 5-3 record and a fifth-place finish in the Bronze Division.

Meanwhile, graduate Devon Miller and Tam seniors Brennan Latimer and Dylan Glave helped the 18U boys win their first match of the tournament before settling for 18th place in the Silver Division of their competition. Latimer demonstrated a powerful outside shot in Irvine, while Swanson labeled Glave a “great swimmer who exceeded expectations.”

Overall, the seven SHAQ teams finished with a 29-27 record in the national competition.