Few coaches in San Diego County are likely to have as extensive a coaching resume as newly hired Coronado High School boys’ and girls’ water polo Head Coach David Throop. 

For the past 30+ years, Throop has coached at almost every level, from high school to NCAA and international development. That included an extended previous run with CHS water polo from 1991 to 2015 and again from 2019 to 2021. After a brief four-year separation, the two have been reunited once again. 

“It’s a privilege to even be considered for something like this,” said Throop. “I can’t wait to get to work and start getting ready.” 

With decades of coaching experience, Throop has seen just about everything one needs to see and understand in order to be a successful head coach. For him, there are a few critical pillars that define his coaching style: communication and adaptability.

“Being able to communicate with your players is key. To balance individual growth with team growth and ride that delicate balance is huge,” said Throop. “I think being adaptive is my strongest trait. There are some things we need to do as a group, there are different ways to do it, and be flexible in that regard. Something that I strive to do is understand each athlete, their motivations, their objectives, but also educate them towards the larger team concepts.”

Along with the excitement of coaching Islander athletes, Throop is also excited by the opportunity to be a part of the Coronado aquatic and water polo community once again. Throop views the community not only as die-hard supporters but also as a place where the program can draw resources and knowledge from. 

“I think tapping into the community and their resources and support will be vital for the maturation of the individual and the maturation of the team,” Throop said. “Our mantra is going to be patience. One of the analogies I’ve used in the past is when we built the BBMAC. Before the pool was built, we had to dig up holes and build the foundation one moment at a time to create what the facility is now.  Building a team for success is the same. We will have to strip some things down and use our existing resources, like our parents and alumni, to help us build. We’ve had a lot of outreach so far from the community and look forward to continuing with that.” 

Not many major decisions have been made regarding filling out his coaching staff as of this moment. However, one large decision Throop has made is to retain Matt Finley as the assistant coach. Finley and Throop share a long history. When Finley was in high school, Throop served as one of his coaches. Since then, the two have shared the pool deck as coaches. 

“Me and Matt have good continuity. He has had the opportunity to be around this current group of players. He is a big asset to have,” commented Throop. “We are also bringing in, potentially, one or two former alumni to help build that sense of community and, again, tap into those resources.”  

Over the past five or more seasons, the Coronado High School boys’ and girls’ water polo teams have seen success, with both programs winning CIF DI titles as recently as 2023. However, the goal for many in and around water polo is to once again start making regular appearances and runs in the CIF Open Division bracket. 

For Throop, the goal is to get there once again. But he knows it’s a process that will require that aforementioned patience.

“In that regard, it’s about building the individual foundations of the technique that you can apply on a tactical level and also putting yourself to the grindstone of playing and competing against those top teams,” said Throop. 

“Then, on the micro view, it’s what we can do today to get better than we were yesterday. It’s not an easy task; it will take some time. But I am convinced, by creating the right kind of community and expectations, that both teams will have the opportunity to grow into that role in the future. For this upcoming season, we’ll build off what was successful and refine the things that need improvement. While also adding some elements that raise the bar weekly and month by month.”

VOL. 115, NO. 25 – June 18, 2025

After completing the 400 meters as part of the men’s decathlon at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships on June 11, Jaden Roskelley took a few moments to catch his breath. The BYU sophomore started talking to his coach under the tunnel leading out to the track when he felt a pat on his shoulder.

It was Washington State’s Parker Duskin, who had just completed the men’s 400 relay. Of all the events that took place during the four-day championship at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field, it was quite the coincidence that these two athletes would wind up in the same spot together, even for a moment.

While competing for separate programs last weekend, the two graduated from Arlington High School a year apart — Roskelley in 2021, Duskin in 2022 — after competing for the Eagles track & field program. The pair would talk about competing for their dream schools, and eventually doing it on a national stage.

They each checked the first box a couple years ago, with Roskelley enrolling at BYU and Duskin at WSU. Last weekend they checked the second box, becoming the first pair of Arlington athletes to compete at the same national championship, much to the pride of Eagles coach Judd Hunter.

“That is a rarity,” Hunter said. “Even to have one make it, let alone two that graduated a year apart.”

With the strict rules and official proceedings of such an important meet, Roskelley and Duskin couldn’t talk to each other in that moment in the tunnel, but both were able to appreciate it. Duskin even texted Hunter a video of Roskelley completing his 400.

“It was definitely strange to see each other on such a big stage,” Roskelley said. “So many people around us and so many things going on when we came from such a— although Arlington isn’t that small, it had that small-town vibe.”

Duskin agreed it was weird in a good way. They managed to talk to each other after the meet about each other’s races, about what went right and what went wrong.

“We talked like we just never left,” Duskin said. “It’s really awesome, but it was just surreal for us, and no matter what, we still want to be champions and we still have that grind. So it’s almost like, job’s not finished.”

Duskin and the Cougars 400 relay placed 20th in the preliminaries with a time 39.41 seconds. It would ultimately be Duskin’s final race with the school he grew up wanting to compete for following Washington State’s decision to cut part of the track & field program to focus on a “distance-approach,” which was announced on Monday. Duskin, who competes in hurdle events as well as sprints, entered the transfer portal shortly after the news broke.

Meanwhile, Roskelley placed 19th in the decathlon despite entering the meet seeded fourth. In the long jump, he fouled his first two attempts, which forced him to take a more conservative approach in order to ensure he would be scored. His 7.02-meter jump (23-00.5) was more than a foot shorter than his personal record 7.75m (25-05.25).

Additionally, a stumble on the 110 hurdles slowed Roskelley down to a 15.97-second finish, last among the 20 finishers, costing him valuable placement and points.

“He’s just running, probably, his best race of his life,” Hunter said, recalling watching it on TV. “(He) nails — I can’t remember what number hurdle it was, maybe six, and almost bites it. Almost goes down, saves it, gets back and finishes. He still ran a (15.97) after almost falling down, but that’s tough. … That’s a difference of probably 100, 150 points right there.”

Roskelley excelled in other events, finishing second in the discus throw (150 feet), fifth in the javelin (184 feet, 1 inche) and tied for third in the high jump (6 feet, 8.25 inches), but ultimately the mishaps in two of his best events set up for a disappointing weekend in his eyes. He still turned it into a learning experience.

Following his trip on the hurdles, Roskelley realized he faced less pressure since placing high was more than likely off the table. He started to see better results in the subsequent events after focusing on each individual one rather than stressing about the points.

“It was so fun for me. … I was focusing on, you know, hitting my positions and doing the right thing in the event,” Roskelley said. “So that also was great. That was super cool to see, and I’m gonna carry that on to other meets, you know, focus on the event, not the overall score.”

Roskelley said he learns more in one track meet than he does over a few weeks of practice, and he credits Hunter for instilling the value of simplifying his focus to one thing at a time on each rep.

Going forward, Roskelley plans to focus on practicing higher quality reps and lowering his volume in order to maximize his progress while also staying fresher over the course of the season. Despite graduating high school in 2021, he just finished his sophomore season because he spent two years as a missionary in Ecuador before enrolling at BYU.

With his missionary work, Roskelley stayed moderately active but was unable to train, especially not at the level of a Division I athlete. He believed he didn’t return to the level of fitness he was at before the mission until halfway through this past season.

With two more years of eligibility left and this experience at nationals under his belt, Roskelley is excited to see his progress going forward. He plans to keep the bib from nationals on his locker throughout next season.

“It really is disappointing to do not as good as you know you can, because you’ve done it before,” Roskelley said. “So seeing that bib on my locker … for the rest of summer and next season is going to be a huge motivator.”

As for Duskin, once he finds a new team for his upcoming senior season, he hopes to return to nationals not just sprinting, but as a hurdler as well. He expects to train with Roskelley in Arlington at some point this summer, as both remain closely tied to Hunter and the Eagles program. Hunter introduced each of them to what is now their primary event — hurdles for Duskin and the decathlon for Roskelley — and the pair even returned last spring to speak to the current Arlington team at the time.

“I was just that kid at one point, right?” Duskin said. “I just walked in, I saw how amazing our track program is. … I was that kid who didn’t want to do hurdles at all, and now I’m doing it at the NCAA national meets, so it’s just, you never know what you’re going to get. I wanted to go out and talk to those guys and say, ‘Just give it your all. Listen to Coach (Hunter).’ I mean, we have such a successful program that we have set up in the Washington area.”

Hunter said their words for the Arlington team served as great motivation, and he noticed performances started to tick up as a result. As proud as he is for what the two are accomplishing now, he’s also proud of what they give back to the program.

“It’s just a great thing,” Hunter said. “To have two guys from the same high school that are really good friends, both competing at the Nationals.”

The 2025 volleyball season starts in eight weeks and before the fall arrives, today’s blog will highlight the athletes that were honored to star in this past season’s GACA/BSN All-Star Games. This event was hosted by Jefferson High School and had 38 individuals from around the state that were nominated by the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association. The all-stars were comprised of mostly juniors and sophomores and gives great insight to some of the top Class of 2026 and 2027 prospects in the state. While it is not a complete picture to what the 2025 season will look like, these athletes will be leaders returning to their respective program that will provide invaluable experience this upcoming season.

Savannah Arts libero Maggie Allen is a Class of 2026 libero that is one of the top servers in the state. Allen posted a career-best 84 aces last year after tallying 81 as a sophomore. Teammate Charlotte Browne was one of the sophomores selected to play in the all-star game last year and is a Class of 2027 Middle Hitter. Last year, Browne helped lead the Panthers with 101 kills and 56 total blocks.  Oconee County was represented by Class of 2027 Middle Hitter Jillian Benning and Class of 2026 Outside Hitter Petra Mooney. Last year, Benning (62) and Mooney (158) accounted for a combined 220 of the Warriors’ kills.

Johns Creek will be another team with returning starpower in 2025. Hana Catic, a 2027 Outside Hitter and Defensive Specialist appeared in the all-star game and will be teaming up with Class of 2026 Adonia Haile next year. Haile—who surpassed 1,000 career assists last September while starring for the Gladiators. Haile and Johns Creek finished 25-9 last season after dropping a tough 3-2 loss to Sequoyah in the first round. In that defeat, Haile matched her season-high with 28 assists. Haile finished her junior season with a team-high 556 assists and had just 16 ball handling errors in 88 sets played. The 5-foot-7 setter tallied 179 assists as a freshman and then posted 485 assists as a sophomore in 114 sets played. Haile has increased her impact, while decreasing the errors and will be a pivotal piece for Johns Creek this season with both Sara Buoni and Hana Catic returning after breakout sophomore campaigns where they led Johns Creek with 275 and 232 kills, respectively.

ROAD TO RECOVERY

Westminster’s Toni Odujebe missed the all-star game due to an injury, but will be back this season to help the Wildcats in their quest for a 10th all-time state title and first since 2020. Additionally, Northside-Columbus will benefit from Blakely Arnold’s recovery from her injury last year. In 2025, Arnold missed eight weeks with an ankle injury before returning to the lineup for the final several matches and provides the Patriots with a 6-foot presence at Middle Hitter.

2024 GACA/BSN All-Star Roster 

Maggie Allen, Savannah Arts, Libero 2026

Jillian Benning, Oconee County, MH 2027

Layla Bergman, Appling County, Setter 2026

Siena Berthold, Jackson County, OH/MH 2026

Charlotte Browne, Savannah Arts, MH 2027

Serenity Carter, Valdosta, OH/RH 2026

Hana Catic, Johns Creek, OH/DS 2027

Emory Caylor, Appling County

Fatima Cesaire, Fayette County, OH 2026

Elizabeth Cook, Oglethorpe County, OH 2026

Abby Dennard, Morgan County, Setter 2026

Layla Dunn, Mt. Paran, OH/RH 2027

Alyssa Feder, Brookwood, Setter 2026

Makaila Foster, Fayette County, MH 2026

Carsyn Galligan, Brookstone, MH/OH 2027

Mia Goldbach, North Cobb, OH 2026

Skyy Green, Ware County, OH 2026

Ava Husted, North Forsyth, Setter 2026

Juli McDaniel, Creekview, OH/RH 2026

Prentice McGarvey, Gainesville, L/DS 2026

Claudia Meditz, McIntosh, MH 2026

Petra Mooney, Oconee County, OH 2026

Allie Moore, West Laurens, L/DS 2026

Hannah Nicholson, North Cobb, L 2026

Tonii Odujebe, Westminster, OH 2027

Abby Peppers, Woodstock, MH 2026

Mar’ley Phillips, Seckinger, OH 2026

Olivia Philopt, River Ridge, L/DS 2026

Ryan Presley, Brookstone, Setter 2027

Mia Ray, North Gwinnett, OH 2027

Taylor Reid, Gainesville, MH 2025

Caitlyn Rivers, Richmond Academy, OH 2026

Camryn Scherer, Morgan County, L 2026

Jordynn Skinner, Holy Innocents’, L/DS 2026

Shelby Smith, Lakeside-Evans, OH 2027

Hadley Sparks, Bremen, OH/DS 2026

Addison Stewart, North Oconee, OH 2027

Marley Woodall, North Oconee, MH 2026

The Long Beach Century Club hosted its 68th Annual Sports Night Banquet this week recognizing the city’s top high school athletes along with a host of special award winners.

The562’s Mike Guardabascio and Tyler Hendrickson hosted the awards and started by naming Long Beach State coaches LaTanya Sheffield and Gavin Arroyo as the Century Club’s Co-Coaches of the Year. Both coached at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, where Sheffield served as head coach of Team USA’s women’s track and field team, while Arroyo was an assistant for the men’s water polo team.

A few more Olympians were then honored as the Century Club’s Players of the Year, with the honors going to Team USA water polo’s Max Irving, Hannes Daube, Chase Dodd, and Ryder Dodd. The four Long Beach natives played a key role in Team USA’s bronze-medal finish in Paris, and Daube and Chase Dodd were present at the banquet to accept the award.

This year, the Century Club also had four new inductees into the Hall of Fame: Vania King, Patty Gasso, Tara Cross-Battle, and Lashinda Demus.

King, a Long Beach Poly alumna, achieved a career-high ranking of No. 3 in the world in doubles and No. 50 in singles. She won Wimbledon and US Open doubles titles in 2010 with partner Yaroslava Shvedova, and went on to capture 15 doubles titles on the WTA Tour. She also won a singles WTA Tour title at the 2006 Bangkok Open.

Gasso played softball at Long Beach State from 1983 to 1984 and began her coaching career at Long Beach City College in 1990. She was hired as the head coach of Oklahoma softball in 1995, where she just wrapped up her 31st year with the program. She has led the Sooners to eight national championships and holds the record for most wins by a coach in program history.

Cross-Battle led Long Beach State to an NCAA title in 1989 and was named AVCA Player of the Year in both 1988 and 1989. Cross-Battle earned an Olympic bronze medal in 1992 and was later inducted into the Long Beach State Hall of Fame (1995) and the International Volleyball Hall of Fame (2014).

Demus set national high school records at Wilson High in the 300-meter hurdles, as well as on the 4×400-meter relay team. She went on to compete for the University of South Carolina before winning multiple world titles and an Olympic gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles in 2012—becoming the first American woman to the event.