Led by two Palisadians, the Los Angeles Water Polo Club won the Youth Division (17-and-under) of the USA Water Polo National Age Group championships July 1, defeating host Long Beach 7-5 in the final game at the new Charter All-Digital Aquatic Center. Mike Lennon, a senior at Loyola High, scored twice in the gold medal match while fellow Palisades resident Jay Connolly, a senior at Harvard-Westlake High, was the squad’s starting goalkeeper. Though they are Mission League rivals during the prep season, Lennon and Connolly have played together on three national championship teams. Their club won the United States Junior Olympic 14-and-under title in 2001 and the 16-and-under gold medal in 2003. Both Lennon and Connolly were voted to the 2003 All-CIF Division I team, selected by the CIF-SS Water Polo Coaches Association. Connolly made the second-team along with Wolverines teammate Eric Vreeland and Lennon was the Cubs’ third-team choice. Both are coached at L.A. Water Polo Club by three-time Olympic coach Rich Corso. Connolly, a Palisades native who attended St. Matthew’s Elementary, follows in the footsteps of older brother Brendan, who achieved All-American status at Harvard-Westlake, graduating in 1998. Lennon and Jay Connolly were selected to the California Coastal Zone’s youth (17 & under) water polo team last year in Santa Barbara. Fifteen players earned spots on the team, which then traveled to Annapolis for the National Selection camp. Lennon is a three-time All-CIF selection while Connolly played two summers in Europe as a member of U.S. age group national teams.
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