The AAU Southern Pacific Championships were held Sunday in Hermosa Beach and were highlighted by a number of girls who qualified for the AAU Junior Olympic Games which will take place July 30-31 at Coconut Beach in New Orleans, LA.
Qualifying for the Junior Olympic Games in the girls 12U divisions were five local athletes including Presley Forbes (Manhattan Beach) and Sunny Villapando (Hermosa Beach) who won their third consecutive local AAU championship defeating the Manhattan Beach team of Lauren Kelly and Pippa Monk for the gold medal. Also qualifying were silver medalists Devon Chang (Manhattan Beach) and Milan Stokes (Long Beach).
In the girls 14U competition, Katie Barkley (Manhattan Beach) and Emma Smith (Manhattan Beach) were gold medalists and qualified for the Junior Olympics and the Best of the Beach tournament to be held in August. Silver medalists Ashley Anselmo (Manhattan Beach) and Gianna Genova (Manhattan Beach) also qualified for the Junior Olympics.
Lan Nguyen (Manhattan Beach) teamed with Christian Jones (Lakewood) to earn a silver medal in the girls 16U division, qualifying the team for the Junior Olympics.
In the girls 10U competition, the Manhattan Beach team of Lindsey Kelly and Ivy Stevens won silver medals.
Blake Markland (Manhattan Beach) and Tanner Smith (Hermosa Beach) took home the gold in the boys 14U division, defeating Will Bantle (Manhattan Beach) and Matt Douglas (Pacific Palisades) in the finals. The Manhattan Beach team of Kyle Jasuta and Trevor Liu finished third.
In the boys 12U competition, Luke Grafton (Manhattan Beach) and Dane Johnson (Manhattan Beach ) placed first and it was an all-South Bay final in the 10U division with Johnny Anselmo (Manhattan Beach) and Sebastian Rodriguez (Hermosa Beach) defeating Kyle Johnson (Manhattan Beach) and Jake Wall (Manhattan Beach) for the title.
At the AAU Los Angeles Open held at Dockweiler Beach on May 1, teams from Manhattan Beach faced each other in the boys 10U and 16U championship matches. Will Campbell and Jack Walmer defeated Mick Bakos and Jason Walmer to win gold medals in the 10U division while Chris Caskey and Matt Reilly knocked off Jeffrey DeCoste and Sean Flanagan for the 16U title.
In the boys 12U competition, Niko Forbes (Manhattan Beach) and Ian Pizzuti (Redondo Beach) won gold and it was an all-South Bay medal-winning performance in the 14U division with the Manhattan Beach team of Cole Anderson and Blake Markland beating the Hermosa Beach team of Sam Caldwell and Tanner Smith for the top prize. Jasuta and Liu finished as bronze medalists.
In girls competition, Forbes and Villapando won gold defeating Lauren Kelly and Leana Jacobs (Gardena) in the finals. Maddie Micheletti (Hermosa Beach) and Bridgette Simpkins (Palos Verdes Estates) joined the Manhattan Beach team of Kelli Barry and Lea Wagner as bronze medalists.
Local athletes also fared well in the AAU Easter Classic at Dockweiler Beach. In boys competition, Forbes and Pizzuti won bronze medals in the 12U division while it was a South Bay sweep in the 14U age group with Blake Markland pairing with Tanner Smith to win gold, defeating Jasuta and Liu. Roy McFarland (Manhattan Beach) and Casey McGarry (Manhattan Beach) finished third.
On the girls side, the Manhattan Beach duo of Lindsey Kelly and Ivy Stevens won gold medals and Piper Stevens (Manhattan Beach) and Lulu Yu (Manhattan Beach) took home bronze in the 10U division.
In the 12U age group, it was an all-South Bay finish with Forbes and Villapando besting Lauren Kelly and Sidney Smith (Palos Verdes Estates) for the gold medal. Kyanna Morgan (Hermosa Beach) and Piper Heidrich (Manhattan Beach) finished third.
The Manhattan Beach team of Katie Barkley and Chloe Markland were gold medalists and Redondo Beach residents Madeleine Simones and Kristina Williamson won bronze in the girls 14U competition.
In the 16U division, Sammy Furlan (Manhattan Beach) teamed with Elise Zappia (Huntington Beach) to win gold. Susannah Muno (Hermosa Beach) and Sydney Bast (Upland) took home bronze medals.
The AAU tour returns to the South Bay with the California Regional Championships on Sunday, June 12 at the Manhattan Beach Pier. Boys and girls in 10U, 12U, 14U, 16U and 18U divisions will compete.
For more information, contact Gino Grajeda, ggrajeda181@msn.com or visit www.aaubeach.org.
