By TIM BURT / The Orange County Register
It was another special year for sports in Irvine.
In 2011, there were CIF championships and some close-calls for other teams going for the top prize.
Christopher Wong of University went out as a CIF swimming champion. Wong, the Irvine World News male athlete of the year, capped his career as a CIF champion by winning the 200 yard individual medley in a county-leading time of 1 minute, 50.70 seconds. He also finished second in the 100 butterfly in a time of 49.25, No. 6 on the county's all-time list. “I was in the 200 IM, one of my better events, and I was able to get a win and it was pretty awesome, a good way to close out the senior year,” the senior said. Wong was also a CIF champion in the 100-yard butterfly as a junior and was named all-county all four years. This year, he was the Orange County Register's male swimmer of the year. Wong, who had a 4.60 GPA, was selected as University's male scholar athlete of the year.
TEXT BY TIM BURT, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER: PHOTO LEONARD ORTIZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
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There were deaths of two former athletes, including ex-Woodbridge volleyball star Blake Mills and a resignation of Eric Bangs, a long-time and popular girls basketball coach at Woodbridge.
There were visits to the city by former Irvine stars, like Austin Daye and Scott Brooks.
There was another memorable football season which included Beckman's run for a CIF title and outstanding performances by Cameron Biedgoly, Bryan Dewey and James Kaprielian of Beckman.
We can't forget Northwood quarterback Ricky Bautista, who left as the school-record holder in many passing categories and Woodbridge defensive lineman Kyle Kelley, who left his mark as one of the top defensive players in the school's history.
(FOR A SLIDE SHOW OF SOME OF THE TOP SPORTS STORIES OF 2011, PLEASE CLICK ON THE PHOTO).
There were great playoff runs by the Northwood and University boys water polo teams, more heroics by the CIF champion University boys tennis team and a first CIF crown by the Northwood girls golf team.
There was Beckman's CIF baseball title which came with a defeat of a surprising Woodbridge team at Dodger Stadium, capping a remarkable year for the high school squads.
There was a CIF swim title by the University girls swim team and an individual crown by University's Christopher Wong and more great achievements on the track by Woodbridge's Gabrielle Scott.
One coach, University football coach Mark Cunningham, received a clean bill of health after battling cancer while another, baseball coach Chris Conlin, began to fight the disease.
It was a big year for Irvine Valley College's men's volleyball team, which won a state title.
The Lasers captured their final six matches and defeated Grossmont in five games to win the state crown. Brandon Directo, a former University High volleyball star, was named the state MVP.
It was the fourth title for the program. IVC finished 15-6.
There were also many outstanding performances by Irvine youth squads, including the Irvine Mustang baseball team and the Irvine Girls Softball Association squad and another successful summer by the Irvine Swim League, which had a record number of teams.
The Irvine Chargers made history by sending three teams to the Super Bowl in their divisions, with the Midget squad pulling out a Super Bowl win.
There was another successful sports awards banquet by the Exchange Club of Irvine and members of the MLS champion Galaxy conducted a soccer camp for South Irvine AYSO. Then, the team sent the championship trophy to Irvine for fans to touch. Best of all, we got to meet a lot of great Irvine people that day.
And we can't forget the Irvine World News Boys Basketball Classic, which marked its 30th anniversary, with a new champion, North Torrance. Crean Lutheran's team, coached by Dan Fink, made its first appearance in the IWN Classic.
What a year it was.
All of the achievements of the teams came as a result of hard work by the athletes and coaches and the support of their parents and friends.
There have been ups and downs, but we've been thrilled to have been along for the ride.
In the slide show, we've included some of these special moments. The list, which also comes with help from our colleagues at OC Varsity, is in no particular order. There are probably others we missed and we encourage you to drop us an email (tburt@ocregister.com) by Monday to let us know if we missed any.
From this list, the Irvine World News sports staff will come up with a top 10 list to be published next week. Feel free to let us know your top 10 as well and we'll definitely consider your input.
For all the athletes and coaches who have helped me and my colleague Brent Shaver share these stories with our readers in 2011, we extend a big thank you.
Happy New Year to all!
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