Water Polo Wins Back-to-Back Titles

The Lions girls’ water polo program had just defeated Mater Dei 11-8 to claim a stunning back-to-back CIF-SS Open Division championship on Feb. 21 at Mount San Antonio College.

After jumping in the pool with his staff and celebrating with his team, head coach Jack Kocur found a quiet moment to himself outside of the pool deck to reflect on his team’s championship run.

Overcome with tears, the coach in his 12th season at Oaks Christian School, reflected on the programs journey to their second consecutive open division title.

“I’ve won championships at every level, and this one just means more,” Kocur said. “Going into the game I was at peace because I understood that it didn’t matter if we won or lost. I just needed to be anchored under Him and do the right thing for my team, and He will take care of the rest. Whether it’s a win or a loss, it doesn’t matter. God is good either way.”

That peace would again be tested when the Lions went down 4-1, and 6-2 in the first half.

“Being down in the first quarter didn’t make that much of a difference to us because we all knew there was so much water polo to play,” said senior Nicole O’Neill. “I really think being down kind of helped us find our momentum as we headed into the second half.”

Trailing 6-4 at the break, the Lions would play their best half of water polo in the second half. The Lions surrendered just two goals. Offensively, the Lions scored seven goals, including four unanswered in the fourth quarter. Junior Makena Bygrave led the Lions offensively, tallying six goals. The rest of the goals came from the senior group of O’Neill, Alli Kim, Mia Fabros, and Maryam Maamoun. 

“Being down is never amazing but we always have a comfort and belief that we can get out of any situation,” Bygrave said. “It is reassuring in big moments like these.”

The senior group knows how hard it is to find success in the playoffs. As freshmen, they were bounced in the first round of Div. 1 playoffs, before exiting in the first round of the Open Division playoffs as sophomores.

“I hope that Oaks Christian teams in the future know that just because you might not be considered the best team doesn’t mean you don’t fight and try to be the best team you can be,” said senior Nicole O’Neill. “Our class is proof that it doesn’t matter where you start, but how you finish together that matters. It wasn’t easy. It took a lot of hard work and discipline, but any team can succeed, and I hope that’s our legacy.”

The bedrock of the Lions’ success has been Kocur’s unmatched defensive philosophy. Like Phil Jackson’s triangle offense, it’s a different way of viewing their sport that has led to elevated success.  Anchored by Stoddard in goal, the Lions use a defensive system that suffocates their opponent’s offense and forces them into their lowest percentage opportunities.

“We make sure we set up Alex to statistically have the best chance of success,” said Bygrave. “When worst comes to worst, it’s great have Alex back there, but we all want to make sure she’s not put in that situation.”

The trust they have in their goalie is justified. She recorded two five-meter penalty saves in the championship game.

“I treat five meters as though I have nothing to lose because the offensive player has the advantage,” Stoddard said. “I study so much film to make sure I understand their tendencies. I often think about how hard my teammates have worked to score goals offensively, and that motivates me to try and not let my sisters down.”

Most programs would crumble when Mater Dei draws an exclusion. Not the Lions. Their five-player defense is the best in the country. They held Mater Dei to just one goal on four attempts on the power play in the championship game.

“Everyone has to gather the energy and the effort of the one extra player that’s not in the water with them,” Kocur said. “We’re asking our athletes to make the other team feel like there are still six players in the pool. Their resiliency, toughness, and sacrifice are unmatched by anyone else in the country.”

The coaching staff, including Olympian and gold medalist Amanda Longan, class of 2014, Devin Hurst, and Serela Kay would gather for pregame selfies and as the moments got bigger Kocur released control and found peace in God.

“The first couple of times, and the pictures will prove it, I thought I can’t believe they’re making me take this dang picture,” Kocur said. “But if you fast forward to the last week and half, when things were heightened the most, my joy was showing even in the selfies, because their joy had shown me a new way of doing things.”

That joy would be tested during the most critical moments of the 2026 playoff run. Against Orange Lutheran, in an elimination game, the Lions went down 8-4 with six minutes

remaining in regulation. His players looked to him for leadership, and Kocur responded calmly with a clap and a simple, “let’s go ladies.”

They went.

They scored five unanswered goals to stun Orange Lutheran and advanced to the semifinal game. After dispatching Newport Harbor 12-9, the Lions were again met with the toughest test they would face. The No. 1 ranked Mater Dei.

As the dust settles, the milestone grows in significance. 

“It’s hard to win once and even harder to win twice and that’s something I’m very proud that we were able to accomplish before graduating,” O’Neill said.

Kocur hopes this win inspires more programs outside of the traditional hotbeds to go for it.

“If you do things the right way, it can be done anywhere,” Kocur said. “You can’t do this without strong faith. The way you go about your business matters, and that’s really what made this so special. We did this the right way, with faith, integrity, obedience, and team cohesiveness.”