I had heard whispers for weeks that Foothill’s boys water polo program might be adding a foreign player, and now I have confirmation that the Knights have two.

Yes, it appears that at the very least, one of the strongest returning rosters in Orange County and Southern Section is getting deeper.

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Veteran Irvine boys swim coach Ken Dory, who guided the Vaqueros to back-to-back CIF titles in 2000 and 2001, has resigned for personal reasons.

Dory also is the aquatics director of aquatics at Concordia University in Irvine and the father of four children.

Dory’s career at Irvine also included coaching a kid named Jason Lezak. Dory had one heck of a run.

One of the hottest prospects in diving is 15-year-old Kelly Markle of Laguna Niguel. Markle is competing in her first senior nationals this week in Pasadena but here’s the catch: the freshman-to-be is moving away from Orange County.

Markle, who trains with Crown Valley Divers and has attended St. Margaret’s as a pre-high schooler, is set to take off early next month for national powerhouse club The Woodlands in Texas.

Markle said if she wasn’t moving, Mission Viejo would have been her pick for high school. That’s right, the home of the two-time CIF-SS Division I champion Lady Diablos. Mission Viejo already has Crown Valley standout Haley McNamara and with Markle on board, that might have meant some serious points at CIF.

I’m sure the Division I teams chasing Mission Viejo (Edison, Fountain Valley to name two) will not shed any tears from this report.

San Clemente senior-to-be diver Kelsey Heiken has scheduled an official recruiting trip to the University of Texas in September, she said Tuesday at the Kaiser Permanente National Diving Championships.

Yes, I can’t believe I actually just wrote that headline.

Legendary water polo coach Jim Sprague said late Friday night that he will no longer be coaching at Servite. Sprague started at Servite in 1992 and built the program into a Southern California powerhouse (and thus a national powerhouse).

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After a tough day of working the phones on the sad story of Dylan Bradshaw, I got to have some fun watching one of my favorite pastimes Thursday night — (more…)

A few interesting names surfaced in the rumor mill for the boys and girls water polo posts at talent-rich Laguna Beach but in the end, the school has tabbed the man who probably knows the players as well as anyone: Ethan Damato. The 26-year-old has been officially named the head coach. Last season, Damato was technically an assistant but the promising coach has received a well-deserved promotion. The Breakers would now be well-served to produce a little consistency in their coaching ranks. For their sake, let’s hope that the coaching carousel has stopped.

Santa Ana Valley’s spectacular, new 50-meter swimming pool will play host to a pool ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday at 5:30 p.m. The ceremony will include Santa Ana Unified School District and Superintendent Jane Russo.

Charlie Rimkus of the Mission Viejo Nadadores and Beckman HS donned TYR’s new Tracer suit for the first time Saturday night at the Speedo Grand Challenge in Irvine. The junior wore the high-tech suit for the 400-meter freestyle and finished a solid fourth in 3:59.99. “It feels really light,” Rimkus said of the suit. “It feels like you are floating through the water. I’m a believer.”

Rimkus was Orange County’s prep standout at the meet Saturday. He also took third in the 400 IM in a lifetime-best 4:26.02.

Veteran Edison girls swim coach Crystal Whitmore, who guided the Chargers to a runner-up finish to Mission Viejo in the CIF-SS Division I finals this spring, has resigned to spend more time with her family, she said Saturday.

A mother of three young boys, Whitmore led second-ranked Edison to its highest finish at CIF and its first league since 1985.

She was The Register’s girls swim coach of the year in 2007.

Whitmore coached Edison for 11 seasons. Edison will miss her knowledge and leadership but she certainly didn’t leave the cupboards bare. Edison’s girls will likely be the preseason No. 1 in Orange County come next spring. It will be interesting to see who gets the post.

How about Edison boys coach Andy Bray? Does Bob Gillett of Golden West Swim Club want another gig?