Salvino resigns at CdM

Steve Virgen

Tim Salvino has resigned as coach of the Corona del Mar High boys

water polo team, the school announced Monday.

Jerry Jelnick, the CdM boys athletic director, said he was told by

the school’s administration that Salvino resigned for personal

reasons.

Jelnick said he was surprised to hear of Salvino’s resignation,

“but I don’t know the whole situation,” he said. “I knew there was

something coming down. I didn’t know if it was a district thing or if

it was Tim’s decision.”

Jelnick said he has heard from at least two people interested in

the coaching job and will continue to accept resumes and interest

throughout the week. Practices begin in two weeks for a team that has

won three of the last four CIF Division I water polo titles.

The CdM boys athletic director said he would call Salvino within

the next few days.

“I want to see how he is doing,” Jelnick said.

Salvino did not return phone messages left Monday.

Salvino was the assistant coach of the boys water polo team for

six years before becoming the head coach, May 6, 2001. He worked

under John Vargas, who left to become the head coach at Stanford.

Under the direction of Vargas, and assisted by Salvino, the Sea

Kings won the CIF Southern Section Division II titles from 1999-2001.

In his only season at the helm, Salvino led CdM to a 20-8 record and

reached the final of the CIF Division I playoffs, losing in the title

game to Long Beach Wilson.

When Salvino was hired as CdM’s coach he was extremely excited to

work with the Sea Kings, and called the job, “a dream come true.”

At that time, Salvino was teaching fourth grade at Newport Heights

Elementary, but had hopes of eventually landing a teaching job at

CdM.

The Sea Kings lost their top three players to graduation. John

Mann, a member of the U.S. junior national team, is slated to play at

UC Berkeley. Artie Dorr will play water polo at UCLA. Beau Stockstill

is set to join his former coach, Vargas, at Stanford.

CdM is also seeking a new girls varsity softball coach, who would

be the fourth coach in as many seasons. Ed Mejia and Racie Giffen

worked as co-coaches for the team last year. Mejia took over as coach

when Yogi Johnson resigned from her post during the 2002 season.

Johnson replaced Terry Cristiano, who left the program after the 2001

season.

Mejia and Giffen guided the Sea Kings to a 10-11 record last

season and lost in a wild-card game in the CIF Division IV playoffs.