Lauren Lesyna

What team was your rival when you played for Stanford club?
Our main rivals were 680 and Diablo. Usually we played 680 for our final game in JO’s. We’d lose to them in JO quals, but win in the final JO’s game, which was a testament to our
improvement throughout the season.

What’s your favorite memory of the club?
My favorite memories are from the summers we spent traveling together and bonding with each other every day. By the end of the season, we were like sisters.

Do you remember any advice from your club coaches?
I remember the prepractice talks that we had every day that were full of both life and polo
advice. One day might be about being aggressive in the water and the next day might be about driving to practice safely. I always took the concepts and applied them to my life and the water.

What high school did you attend?
I went to Gunn High School and graduated in 2013.

What college?
I started off at the University of Hawaii, and I am now attending Foothill College.

Did you play water polo in college?
Yes, I play for Foothill.

Where do you live now?
I live in Palo Alto.

What hobbies do you enjoy?
Coaching the 16’s. I wasn’t expecting to be coaching so soon, but Mark asked me to coach JV
for Gunn and I did and now I’m coaching the girls 16’s team. Although it is challenging to
balance coaching and school, choosing to coach has turned out to be the best decision I have ever made. It’s hard work, but it’s also a lot of fun.

Any life milestones you’d like to share?
I recently learned how to drive stick shift which is great because now I can drive any car.

What is your favorite cap #?
My favorite is #19. My teammates may not always appreciate having to pull all the unused
numbers before 19 off the cap stringer to give me my cap, but that’s ok.

Who is your favorite Olympian?
Brenda Villa, because, after having met her, I found that she’s a very humble person who gives back to her community and who, as a player, never gives up.

What is your favorite water polo move?
I am a two-meter player so I love receiving a pass from the 1 or 5 and making a 90-degree turn and scoring.

Do you remember any funny stories from when you played for Stanford?
One day at practice, Coach Kyle was walking on the gutter in the Avery pool, giving instructions on a play, when he accidentally stepped out and fell into the pool. I tried to suppress my laugh because I wasn’t sure if he would come up angry or laughing. He was a good sport about it and continued coaching the rest of practice with a towel over his shoulders.

Do you have any advice for the Stanford girls playing this year?
Never say no to something just because you don’t think you can do it. If you give it 100% and
try your best, you can do anything you set your mind to.