Additions to the 2020 Miramonte Booster Club Athletic Hall of Fame had their induction ceremony from last April postponed. The “Class of 2020,” whose official induction is slated for this fall, included Steve Harwood (Booster, Announcer, Community Member); Garth Haynes (’76 Basketball and Tennis); Brett Jackson (’06 Baseball); Bill Maze (’74 Tennis and Basketball); Megan Reid (’14 Soccer, Water Polo, Basketball and Track); Heather White (’06 Swimming) and Paul Yriberri (Coach ’74-’07).
Miramonte High School has a long, proud sports tradition with many outstanding individuals and teams. Arguably, the best national prep girls’ high school female basketball player of the last decade, Sabrina Ionescu ‘16, who led the Mats to a 119-9 record during her four years, followed up a stellar collegiate career at Oregon as a 1st overall draft by the New York Liberty in the 2020 WNBA
draft.
The historic success of the Mats water polo program also speaks to the excellence that epitomizes Miramonte sports. On an official USA Water Polo site, in a 2016 article celebrating the school’s 50th anniversary playing the sport, Jeff Moulton captured the national impact of the program:
“Led by Coach Bill Brown and then Coach James Lathrop, Miramonte has been the most successful Northern California high school water polo program. It ranks with Newport Harbor, Long Beach Wilson and Corona Del Mar as one of the four or five best high school programs in the country during the last 50 years.
“Almost 100 Miramonte players have been named high school All Americans, 18 players have been named to one or more NCAA All American teams and 19 players have played for one or more NCAA championship teams.”
Hall of Fame inductees for 2019 included Lynne Abbes Rolley (’67 Tennis); Marilyn Davis (’82 Track and Cross Country); Kirk Everist (’85 Water Polo); Valerie Henderson (’04 Soccer); Otis McCain (Coach ’62-’08); Karen Moe (‘71 Swimming); Luke Sassano (’84 Soccer); and James Stockholm (Community Member).
The 2018 “class” featured Floyd Burnsed (Coach ’82-’02); Roger Durant (Coach ’63-’96); Deborah Flandermeyer Donlan (’89 Basketball); Jane Frederick (’68 Track and Field); Mike MacDonald (Football and Wrestling); Don Phillips (Coach ’55-’88); Doug Robbins (’84 Football and Baseball); Carolyn Schuler Jones (’60 Swimming); and Jon Svendsen (’71 Water Polo, Basketball and
Swimming).
The inaugural inductees in 2017 included Drew Bennett (’96 Football, Basketball and Baseball); Tom Blackwood (Coach ’65-’03); Nicole Branagh (’97 Basketball, Volleyball, Track and Field); Bill Brown (Coach ’66-’05); Ken Dorsey (’95 Football and Basketball); Dixon Farmer (’59 Track and Field); Pete Jensen (’67 Basketball); Heather Petri (’96 Swimming and Water Polo); and Peter Schnugg (‘69 Swimming, Water Polo and Basketball).
