HIGH SCHOOL GROUP WELCOMES THE AUSSIES
Thanks to all the players who came to meet and compete with the Australian team. It was a great three days and the Aussie girls appreciated the friendly atmosphere and competition. They were impressed by the facilities and the size, organization and enthusiasm of our club. Enjoy the holidays and the New Year - see you at practice next week!

Photos courtesy of Peggy Costello
Photos courtesy of Steve White
Photos courtesy of Ann Espinosa
Photos courtesy of Matt Wong

20-UNDERS WIN NATIONAL TITLE, SENIORS WIN SILVER
Stanford won its second national championship and first at the 20-under level in Capistrano Valley in July. Congratulations to coach Susan and all the athletes for this great achievement!
• Stanford 20-Under & Senior Nationals rosters
• 20-Under schedule & results

TIPTON, CHAMPION WIN MEDALS WITH JUNIOR NATIONAL TEAM
Amanda Tipton and Phoebe Champion competed in two tournaments for the United States Junior National Team. Both players contributed to the team's success, earning two silver medals on the trip.
PYTHIA CUP, CHALANDRI, GREECE: Australia 10-USA 9, USA 14-Greece 4, USA 15-Germany 3
TROFEO LIGURIA, RAPALLO, ITALY: USA 9-Netherlands 6, USA 7-Hungary 4, USA 10-Australia 8, USA 6-Italy 3, Russia 17-USA 14

LINDSAY BACOLINI NAMED COLLEGIATE ALL-AMERICAN
Stanford club alumni Lindsay Bacolini finished her collegiate career at Santa Clara by earning Honorable Mention All American honors. Lindsay is the first Bronco woman water polo player to be named to the list. In 1997, Lindsay and the age group team stunned everyone, including the coaches, by qualifying for the first ever girls Speedo Cup. Congratulations Lindsay!
• Read article from santaclarabroncos.com

KELLY EATON JOINS FELLOW CIF-SCHOLARS
Stanford's women's water polo team now has four of the last five CIF-Scholar Athletes on the 2007 team. Click here for the full story and a great picture with Kelly and her teammates.

ON THE ROAD TO MISSOURI
The girls placed 6th at the Speedo Cup with wins over Greenwich and San Diego and losses to Santa Barbara, Diablo and gold medalist Laguna Beach. Emily Dorst was named our Maureen O'Toole Award winner. Congrats to the Speedo Cup team!

Despite a last-second loss in the Speedo Cup qualifying match, Stanford's girls will return to the National Age Group Championships for the ninth time in the last 10 years. Stanford received an at-large bid to the tournament and will compete in Columbia, Mo., November 11-13. The Stanford boys are also on their way to the Speedo Cup. Congrats and good luck!
• Click here for the team roster
• Tournament schedule

MICRO LEAGUE FALL 2006
The Micro League was a blast once again - congrats to all the players and thank you to the coaches and parents for your support! • Photos from Micro League, 9/23/06

USA WINS JUNIOR PAN AM GOLD
Stanford's Kim Krueger and Tanya Wilcox helped the United States defeat Canada 6-4 in the gold medal game of the Junior Pan American Championships in Montreal. After a first game loss to Canada, Team USA defeated Brazil, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Jamaica to qualify for the semifinals. The team beat Brazil in the semis and led the entire way against the hosts in the final. Congratuations also to Bekki Lyon, Team USA assistant coach.
Click image for larger picture: Stanford grad Nancy El-Sakkary with Kim & Tanya

2006 JUNIOR OLYMPICS RECAP
The Stanford girls had a great showing at the Junior Olympic tournament in Ventura County. Congratulations to all of the athletes and coaches and many thanks to all of the parents for their support of the teams! Feel free to email team photos to Kyle at kyle@stanfordwaterpolo.com - we'd love to have a picture of each team for the website!

TORI ANTHONY QUALIFIES FOR WORLD FINAL
Stanford and Castilleja goalie Tori Anthony has qualified for the pole vault finals at the World Junior Championships in Beijing. She will compete in the finals on August 18. Tori made the USA team by winning the Junior Nationals earlier this summer. Tori also won titles at CCS and the CIF-State meet. Click here to read more. Palo Alto Weekly Athlete of the Week. Congratulations and good luck Tori!

PHOEBE CHAMPION: "THE ATHLETE"
Stanford player and Palo Alto HS grad Phoebe Champion was featured in the Palo Alto Weekly's 2006 graduation coverage. Click here to read the article. Phoebe has played for our club since 2000 and has helped her teams win medals at both the Speedo Cup and Junior Olympics.

KELLY EATON HONORED BY CIF IN SACRAMENTO
Stanford player and M-A grad Kelly Eaton has been named the 2006 CIF Scholar Athlete of the Year. She was the subject of a feature article in the Palo Alto Weekly and recently received her award at a ceremony at the state capitol. Kelly will attend Stanford and play water polo for the Cardinal in the fall. Click here to read more about Kelly and the award.

HS2 CLAIMS DESSERT SOCIAL VICTORY
The dessert social was a blast! Thanks to everyone who brought desserts and everyone who helped to eat them. The judges were impressed by all entries - definitely the best water polo culinary creations off all time! Cookies, cakes, cupcakes, brownies.... and of course vanilla ice cream. Lots of fun, it was great to see you all there.
BAKING CONTEST PHOTOS!

JT'S JO QUAL RECAP
Click here to read John Tanner's recap of Stanford's performance at the Pacific Zone Junior Olympic Qualification tournament.

STANFORD REPRESENTED IN TEAM USA
Stanford club players and coaches in the USA National Team programs have a lot ahead this summer. Seven athletes were selected to the Youth National Team (18-under) and the Junior National Team (20-under). Click here to read more about these teams and the Pacific Zone Cadet team which brought home the Cadet National Championship trophy in May.

GREAT JOB AT 2007 JO QUALS!
Our club had a fantastic weekend at JO qualifying, as five teams earned berths at the 2006 Junior Olympics. Congratulations to all the players - we have lots of work to do before JOs!
18A: 1st place
18B: 5th place
16A: 1st place
16B: 6th place
14A: 4th place
14B: 7th place

STANFORD WINS BC OPEN GOLD
The two Stanford teams performed brilliantly in Vancouver this weekend, with the White team capturing fifth place and the Red team winning the gold medal. The tournament committee picked "all stars" of one player per team - Stanford's Kelly Eaton and Vee Dunlevie were named to the team. Congratulations to all the athletes!
BC Open web page
Stanford Red: beat Stanford White 16-3, beat Tualatin Hills 16-4, beat Washington 18-3, tied Calgary 10-10, beat Pacific Storm B 14-3, beat Pacific Storm A 10-5, beat Tualatin Hills 14-5, beat Pacific Storm A 17-5
Stanford White: lost to Stanford White 16-3, beat Pacific Storm B 8-7, lost to Pacific Storm A 11-8, lost to Tualatin Hills 8-5, beat Washington 9-6, lost to Calgary 6-5, beat Washington 18-5

STANFORD COACHES, ATHLETES HONORED BY USWP
Stanford head coach John Tanner was honored at the annual USA Water Polo Awards Luncheon as 2005 National Coach of the Year. It was a clean sweep for Stanford as men's coach John Vargas brought home Men's Elite Coach of the Year and Brenda Villa and Tony Azevedo were the women's and men's Athlete of the Year. This is the second consecutive year a Stanford coach has been named National Coach of the Year as Kyle Utsumi received the award in 2004.

YOUTH WATER POLO LEAGUE (11-UNDER)
The fall 2005 youth water polo league (11-under) was a great success. Click here to see pictures from opening day (9/24).

CCS CHAMPIONSHIPS
A MESSAGE FROM JOHN TANNER
Another incredible high school season for Stanford Water Polo Club players and coaches wraps up this Saturday, November 19, with the CCS Championship Game. Congratulations to coaches Kyle Utsumi, Bekki Lyon, Jenny Booth and the Menlo Knights and to coach Chris Rubin and the Menlo-Atherton Bears for qualifying for the finals.

I hope everyone in the club will turn out for Saturday's game at Independence High School at 11:45am. It will be a celebration of these two great teams and all of our Stanford players and coaches, who competed with great skill and dignity all season. And while Menlo and M-A are the two teams left standing after 30 games and three rounds of CCS playoffs, all of our players and coaches had a great fall season. Seven of the eight teams in the CCS quarterfinals had Stanford players, most of whom played vital roles in key games, and three (M-A, Menlo and Palo Alto) had Stanford coaches. That kind of representation at the highest level of local high school water polo is unprecedented for our club, even with all our past successes.

As ever Stanford Water Polo Club supports high school water polo. It is a huge part of our sport's appeal and a chance to represent your school and community. I look forward to seeing all of you at Independence and being able to congratulate you all on your great accomplishments this season. If you can't make it Saturday, I am counting on seeing you at our pre-winter season meeting on December 1st, here at Stanford.

Good luck to Menlo and M-A on Saturday.
John Tanner

Coincidentally, JT attended both Menlo (middle school) and M-A in the 70s and coached boys polo at M-A, then Menlo, in the 80s.

OFF TO COLLEGE
Congratulations to the Stanford club's graduating seniors who are in college - click for bios on their team web pages.
Remy Champion: Cal
Kelly Clark: Michigan
Natalie Chrisman: Cal
Jackie Friedberger: George Washington
Jacque Gowin: San Diego State
Kelsey Haley: Michigan
Mary Hildebrand: UC San Diego
Natalie O'Farriell: USC
Nikki Perlman: Harvard
Amanda Tipton: UC Santa Barbara
Caitlin Vartain: George Washington
Brittany Webster: US Naval Academy
Sioban Williams: UC San Diego

18s	Seniors	16B

16A	14s

'05 JOs IN THE HISTORY BOOKS

SUNDAY RECAP
WHAT A DAY!
The 12s finished with a win over Socal to finish 9th, the 14s battled all game long and were edged out by TRAP to come in 6th. The 16As outplayed San Diego Shores for 5th and the 16Bs were magnificent in their win over Marin for 17th place (amazing national ranking for the 16B team!). The 18s capped off the 2005 Junior Olympics for the club by coming from behind to send the bronze medal game against Socal into a penalty shootout - all five Stanford shooters connected and Mary Hildebrand, a member of Stanford Water Polo Club since sixth grade, made a tremendous save on the first Socal shot - Congratulations to the 18-under BRONZE MEDALLISTS!

If you have a digital team photo of any of the teams, please send via email to Kyle for the website. Also, check back soon for an overall recap of the 2005 Junior Olympics. Thanks for all of your support, dedication and commitment to the sport and our club. Good luck in the fall!

SATURDAY RECAP: The 12s defeated Capo Valley and will play Sunday for 9th place! The 14s are poised to make the semifinals despite a loss to Commerce. The 16Bs won twice, including a thrilling shootout victory over Long Beach Shore. The 16As needing three wins to reach the semifinals, came up just short, winning games over American River and LA Water Polo Club before falling to top-seeded Breakers. The 18s advanced to the medal round with a forfeit win over Corona del Mar.

FRIDAY RECAP: Stanford teams were in action all day with the 14s advancing to the top six of the tournament with a win over Huntington Beach and a tie vs COLA. The 16Bs defeated KAI-Breakers then lost a tough match to American River. The 16As also split a pair, downing American River in the morning before falling to Socal in the evening. The 18s won a penalty shootout against American River, then beat Socal to continue their march to the semifinals.

THURSDAY RECAP: The 2005 Junior Olympics kicked off on Thursday and all five Stanford teams were in action. The 12s played well but fell to CHAWP and Commerce. The 14s had a pair of wins over Monterey Peninsula and LA Water Polo Club. The 16Bs led off the morning with a win over Washington, then lost a tough contest to San Diego Shores. The 16As beat Central Valley then came from behind to win over LA Water Polo Club. The 18s are undefeated after winning games against Central Valley and Florida Coast.

USA WOMEN WIN SILVER IN MONTREAL
The USA women's national team won the silver medal at the 2005 FINA World Championships in Montreal. The team had leads of 1-0 and 2-1 before the first quarter ended in a 2-2 tie. Hungary was on fire in the second quarter, taking a 7-3 halftime lead. The USA defense tightened up and the team edged to 7-4 after three. A furious rally by the American team evened the score 7-7 and the game went to overtime. In overtime, Hungary found its shooting touch again, to win the world title 10-7.

STANFORD FINISHES 6TH AT SENIOR NATIONALS
Stanford finished 6th at the Senior National championships with Molly Hayes and Christina Hewko earning All-American Honorable Mention recognition. A week earlier, Hayes and Kelsey Haley were named Honorable Mention All-Americans as the team finished 7th at the 20-under nationals. Team rosters for 20-under nationals and senior nationals.

BUS TRIP '05: HOT TIME IN LA
The club had a blast on the bus trip to LA - five teams competed in two tournaments and enjoyed many successes and tough games. All the groups also made it to cheer on the Stanford team at the senior national championships. A big thank you to all the parents who helped make this happen with support in all areas from logistics to hydration expertise.

Click logo to enlarge --->
Click here to see t-shirt front

SUCCESSFUL JO QUALS
Congratulations to all the players who helped our teams qualify for the 2005 Junior Olympics in San Jose! The 12-unders tied Diablo, the 14-unders were second place, 16-A placed first with 16-B placing fifth and the 18-unders won first place. Let's have great practices as we head toward JOs!

STANFORD ATHLETES EXCEL AT NATIONAL TRYOUTS
The Stanford club players did a great job at their tryouts around the country. Phoebe Champion was named to the Junior National Team; Megan Burmeister and Tanya Wilcox made the Youth National Team; and Hannah Breen and Ruth Milne will train with the Futures National Team. Congrats to these athletes and all who represented our club & the Pacific Zone!

NATIONAL TEAM TRYOUT PARTICIPANTS:
Juniors (born 1987-88, tryouts in Utah): Phoebe Champion, Kelly Eaton, Lizzie Rouleau
Youth (born 1989-90, tryouts in Davis): Megan Burmeister, Kandis Canonica, Kim Krueger, Pallavi Menon, Elise Ponce, Brittany Westerman, Tanya Wilcox
Futures (born 1991 & younger, tryouts in New York): Hannah Breen, Ruth Milne, Allegra Tringali

DANA SAIGN NAMED TO MPSF FRESHMAN TEAM
Stanford Club member Dana Saign of UC Santa Barbara was one of eight players named to the 2005 MPSF All-Freshman Team. Dana joined the club as a high school freshman in 1999 and represented Stanford in numerous national championships, winning a gold medal at the 2003 Senior Nationals. Congrats Dana!

STANFORD COMPETES IN CANADA
Stanford has two teams competing in the Valentine's International Invitational in Victoria, British Columbia February 11-13. The tournament has a nice website with pictures - click here to follow the action!

USA JUNIORS WIN WORLD TITLE
Stanford coach Kyle Utsumi returned from Perth, Austrlia, after leading the USA Women's Junior National Team (20-under) to the gold medal at the 6th FINA World Junior Championships.

In the last three Junior Worlds, the US has been made it to the gold medal match. And all three times, our club has been represented on the US team. In 2001, Julie Gardner led the US to gold at the 2meter position; in 2003, Laurel Champion was a vital 2m defender and driver on the silver medal team; this year, it's Kyle who was carrying the torch for the Stanford Water Polo Club. In every case, our representatives have risen through the ranks of US Water Polo by way of our club. Julie and Laurel had played five years with Stanford Water Polo before making the Junior Worlds team, and Kyle has been a part of the club for almost 10 years.

Stanford Coaches Receive 2004 U.S. Water Polo Annual Awards
Kyle Utsumi named National Coach of the Year.
Having been named Women's Elite Coach of the Year for the Pacific Zone in 2004, Kyle was chosen among all other zone winners for this award. Kyle has been coaching with the Stanford club team since 1994, and has worked with all age group levels over the years. Kyle is the head coach of the US Junior National team that won a gold medal at the Jr. Pan American Games this past summer. Kyle recently left for Perth, Australia, to coach the #1 ranked U.S. team at the Jr. World Championships. Kyle most recently won the 2004 CIF-CCS Championship as the head coach at Menlo School.
Jon Barnea named Boys Development Coach of the year for the Pacific Zone. A former Stanford club player, Jon is in his second stint coaching the club team since 1998. Most recently Jon coached the boys 14/under team to their second consecutive silver medal at the Speedo Cup Championships. Jon is also the boys water polo coach at Palo Alto High School and help with the zone development team.

Ted Minnis named Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) 2005 National Youth Sports Finalist
Ted was chosen as one of only 15 coaches nationwide for this honor. The Positive Coaching Alliance believes that winning is a goal in youth sports but that there is a second, more important goal of using sports to teach life lessons through positive coaching. In its 6 years in existence, the PCA has delivered its message that youth sport can help kids lead healthier and happier lives. PCA has the support of elite coaches and athletes including Phil Jackson as PCA National Spokesperson. Their advisory board is comprised of luminaries from the worlds of academia, business and sports. Some of the PCA National Advisory Board members include Detroit Pistons Head Coach Larry Brown, former senator Bill Bradley, NFL Hall of Fame Member Ronnie Lott, Olympic Gold Medalist in Swimming Summer Sanders, University of North Carolina Men's Basketball Retired Head Coach Dean Smith, Cy Young winner Barry Zito, and New York Jets Head Coach Herm Edwards.
We at Stanford Water Polo are extremely proud that Ted has been rewarded for his hard work and dedication to our athletes and been chosen as a national finalist for this award. A select few among these 15 finalists will be honored at the PCA's annual awards dinner, here at Stanford, in March.

AREA CAMP TRYOUT DATES ANNOUNCED
The first weekend of tryouts will be Feb. 19 and 20. Further information, as well as times, is posted at the Pacific Water Polo Web Site

SPEEDO CUP TEAM WINS SILVER MEDAL!
Our 14 and under girls won the Silver Medal at the 11th annual Speedo Cup in dramatic fashion. Along the way, they played three intense come-from-behind 1-point victories. (There are game summaries on usawaterpolo.com.)

Scores Along the Way:
Stanford (CA) 11, St. Louis (MO) 0
Stanford (CA) 3, American River (CA) 2
Stanford (CA) 8, Miami (FL) 7
Commerce (CA) 7, Stanford (CA) 2
SEMIFINAL Stanford (CA) 5, Mission Viejo (CA) 4
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME Commerce (CA) 9, Stanford (CA) 5

JOHN TANNER'S OLYMPIC THOUGHTS
Click here for update #2, and thoughts from Coach Tanner Olympic Update

OLYMPICS IN FULL SWING
Follow all of the action here with the mid-Olympic wrap-up:Olympic Update

STANFORD ENJOYS JO SUCCESS
All three teams finished JOs on a high note, as the 18s defeated Navy for 7th, the 16s beat Golden Bear for 5th and the 14s captured the bronze medal with a victory over LA Water Polo Club. Congratulations to all the players and coaches for a job well done!!!
• Junior Olympic team rosters
• Photo of venue in heavy storm

LA TRIP: OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE '04
A combined team of HS2 and HS1 athletes traveled to Los Angeles and had a whirl-wind weekend, with many Olympic highlights. The team met the men's Olympic teams from Hungary, Serbia, Australia and the USA. Women's Olympians Brenda Villa and Ellen Estes gave a talk to the team, and the girls attended the Men's FINA World League matches. And yes, there was a tournament - Stanford won three straight games before falling in its final two!

TEAM USA NOTCHES WIN AT AVERY
Many thanks to all who made the Avery to Athens event one to remember! The atmosphere was Olympic in nature as the USA and Hungary put their incredible talents on display. Follow the road to Athens this week as the teams compete in the FINA World League Super Final in Long Beach. The Super Final features all eight teams which will go for the gold in Athens.
• FINA Super Final website
• San Francisco Chronicle coverage of Avery to Athens
• USA Water Polo coverage of Avery to Athens

OLYMPIC COUNTDOWN
The Athens Olympic Games are just around the corner and the world-wide media is starting to pick up on the chances of the USA Water Polo teams. Keep track of the Road to Athens by checking out these articles found online. If you find any interesting pieces, send the link to kyle@stanfordwaterpolo.com.
• Official 2004 Olympic Games website
• NBCOlympics.com front page
• MSNBC Olympics front page
• Baker's Dozen heads to Athens a Favorite
• US Women's roster finalized for Athens
• Water Polo: What to watch in Athens
• Azevedo adds maturity, leadership to portfolio
• Rudic reminds players of another taskmaster
• No blood, no foul
• Water Polo Athlete Bios

HIGH SCHOOL HONORS
Stanford athletes have made a big impact for their schools this fall. Congratulations to all the teams and athletes!
• Click here for 2003 high school honors

ELISE PONCE EXCELS AT USWP CAMP
Stanford Water Polo was well represented at the 2003 USWP National Age Group Camp at the USA Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. Held from December 19-23, the camp featured 121 athletes including Elise Ponce and Tim Norton from Stanford. Coaches Kyle and Craig served as camp staff, overseeing the 25 student coaches in attendance. Elise and Tim worked on their fundamental skills for three days before playing in a tournament at the end of camp. Elise received an award from Commerce coach Gabriel Martinez as the Most Outstanding Female Goalkeeper. Congrats!

2003 HIGH SCHOOL HONORS
Stanford athletes have made a big impact for their schools this fall. Congratulations to all the teams and athletes!
• Click here for 2003 high school honors

MOLLY HAYES SIGNS AT CAL
Molly Hayes accepted a scholarship offer and will continue her water polo career at Cal next year. Molly got started with the club at age 10 in 1996. She has represented Stanford in numerous Junior Olympics, Speedo Cups, National Championships and recently for the USA Youth National Team. Molly was a member of the 2003 Senior Nationals gold medal team and helped St Francis win three CCS titles. Congratulations and good luck!

KYLE UTSUMI NAMED USA JR NATIONAL COACH
Coach Kyle has been named the head coach of the USA Junior National Team (20-under). In July, the Junior National team competes in the Pan American championships in El Salvador, looking to qualify for the Junior World Championships in Perth, Australia in January of 2005.
• USA Water Polo press release
• Waterpolo-World.com article

GIRLS FINISH FOURTH AT SPEEDO CUP!
Stanford takes Socal to shootout before falling in the 2003 Speedo Cup semifinal. Coronado edged the girls 5-3 in the third place game. Congrats to the team and the coaches! Click thumbnails below for larger image.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!
Coach Susan Ortwein and the Stanford senior national team brought home the club's first national title, defeating SoCal 4-1 for the gold medal. The junior national team finished fifth in a tough field. Click here for the team rosters from both tournaments.

2003 JUNIOR OLYMPICS
Stanford teams finished the summer with a great week of games in Orange County. The 14-unders finished fourth, the 16-unders seventh and the 18-unders were sixth. Congrats to all the players and coaches for a fine performance on a national stage.

LAUREL CHAMPION NAMED TO USA JUNIOR NATIONAL TEAM
Congratulations to Laurel Champion, who was named to the USA Junior National (20-under) team which will compete in the Junior World Championships August 23-31 in Calgary. Laurel has been a member of the Stanford Water Polo Club since joining as an eighth grader in 1997. The USA is the defending world champion. Good luck!!
• Laurel Champion bio
• Junior World Championships official website

MOLLY HAYES NAMED TO YOUTH NATIONAL TEAM
Molly Hayes was selected as one of 28 members of the 2003 Women's Youth National Team. The team will compete in the Commerce Cup in Los Angeles and the Dennis Fosdick International Youth Cup in Moraga (June 25-29).

PACIFIC ZONE TEAM MEMBERS
Congratulations to the Stanford athletes who were selected to the 2003 Pacific Zone Women's Youth Team (18-under). Emily Brown, Remy Champion, Molly Hayes and Natalie O'Farriell travelled with the zone team to Boca Raton, Fla., on Memorial Day weekend for the Youth National Team selection camp.

CONGRATS TO SPEEDO CUP GIRLS
The girls team finished fourth in St Peters. Click here for the official 2002 Speedo Cup website, which has scores and details.

2002 JUNIOR OLYMPICS
12s BRING HOME SILVER
The 12s were JO runners-up to Commerce, while the 14s, 16A and 18-White all finished tied for 5th place. The 18-Red team finished tied for 9th place. Congratulations to all the teams for a well played tournament. Click here for the 2002 Junior Olympic rosters. Results.
• 12-under pics from JOs
• 12-under team with their medals
• Official zone website (JO Q results posted)

USA YOUTH DOMINATES CANADA IN NOR AMS
The USA Women's Youth National Teams took first and second place in the 2001 Nor Am Tournament in Los Alamitos, Dec 27-29. Stanford's Laurel Champion was a member of the "A" team which posted a perfect 5-0 record. The team beat Canada Youth 24-0, Canada Jr West 19-3, Canada Jr East 14-1 and USA "B" 11-6 in the preliminaries, then defeated the "B" team 7-2 in the championship. Coach Kyle was the head coach of both USA "A" and USA "B".

STANFORD REPRESENTED AT OLYMPIC TRAINING CENTER
Stanford athletes and coaches were once again prominent at the USWP Age Group Development Camp held at the USA Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Scott Hvidt, JP MacDonell and Phoebe Champion were all named All-Tournament for their efforts in the Snow Bowl. Coach Paul Rosenberg led his team, Meltdown, to the Snow Bowl title. Coach Kyle was the head coach of the camp, which was attended by 80 athletes and 20 coaches from around the country. Stanford's Brenda Villa was also on hand to help coach and demonstrate skills for the campers.

GARDNER HELPS USA REACH GOLD MEDAL MATCH
USA WINS GOLD!!! The USA Women's Junior National Team is the new world champion after defeating Australia 10-9 in overtime. Stanford's Julie Gardner had a goal and drew the penalty shot that put the USA in the lead in overtime! Click here for pictures!
• Australia Water Polo's home page
• FINA's home page

STANFORD PLAYERS EARN HIGH SCHOOL HONORS
Many of Stanford's club members were recognized by the coaches in their leagues and in the Central Coast Section - heading the list was senior Brittani Llorente of Aragon. Brittani was named the Most Valuable Player of the Peninsula Athletic League and of the entire CCS. Click here for a list of league and CCS honors. If we have missed any players, please email Kyle and we'll make the updates!

FALL JUNIOR POLO
GIRLS BRING HOME BRONZE! The Stanford girls defeated San Diego 5-4 to win the bronze medal at the Speedo Cup in St Peters, Mo. The boys battled their way through a stacked field and finished eighth. Phoebe Champion and Matt Hudnall were the recipients of the Jody Campbell Award. Check back soon for photos.

Photos from the Age Group Championships in Marin. Thanks to Jeff Hudson for sharing these great pics!

LAUREL CHAMPION NAMED TO USA YOUTH "A" SQUAD
Laurel Champion was named to the 14-player USA Youth National "A" team after a grueling training camp and tryout over Thanksgiving weekend. Both the "A" and "B" teams will compete in the Nor Am Tournament against Canada December 27-29 in Los Alamitos.

"Laurel was outstanding on the counterattack all weekend, making great decisions and scoring her open shots," said Youth Head Coach Kyle Utsumi. "I'm looking forward to seeing her perform against international competition later this month."

STANFORD COACH NAMED TO NATIONAL POST
Stanford coach Kyle Utsumi has been named head coach of the USA Women's Youth National Team.
• USA Water Polo's press release
• Coach Kyle's bio

JO ALL AMERICANS
This year marked the first time Stanford has placed in the top eight in all three age groups, with the 14s finishing 7th and the 16s and 18s placing 5th. In addition, several athletes earned All-American honors. Congrats to all the athletes for making this such a successful event!
• Jessica Goldner, 18U First Team
• Laurel Champion, 18U Second Team
• Brittani Llorente, 18U Second Team
• Lindsey O'Farriell, 18U Honorable Mention
• Erica Wilson, 18U Honorable Mention
• Taryn Appelblom, 16U First Team
• Emily Brown, 16U Second Team
• Amy Gardner, 16U Second Team
• Molly Hayes, 16U Second Team
• Natalie O'Farriell, 14U First Team
• Remy Champion, 14U Second Team
• Natalie Crisman, 14U Honorable Mention
• Traci Robertson, 14U Honorable Mention

2001 CLUB PHOTO

Click the photo for a larger version!

OTHER PHOTOS (Send pics via email to kyle@stanfordwaterpolo.com)
18-under team at JO seeding
The 18s are all attention at a timeout

STANFORD SIXTH AT JUNIOR NATIONALS
The 20-under squad travelled to Bloomington, Ind., for the Junior Nationals and played tough against a strong field. The team defeated Great Lakes, Golden West and Sierra and lost to eventual champion Navy, San Diego Shores and Modesto. Kristin Stanford earned All-American honors while Brittani Llorente was named Honorable Mention.

JO SEEDING TOURNAMENT
GREAT JOB BY ALL OUR TEAMS!

18-A: 1st place
Bracket: wins over The Polo Club, Oakland, Marin
Semifinals: win over Silicon Valley Splash
Finals: 8-3 win over Oakland

18-B: 3-0 record in the Festival division
Wins over Burlingame B, Danville B & DVC

16-A 1st place
Bracket: wins over SF Polo, Marin
Semifinals: win over Silicon Valley Splash
Finals: 4-1 win over Golden Bear

16-B: 3rd place in Festival division
Win over Golden Bear B
Loss to West Bay
Win over Soquel

14-Under: 1st place
Round robin tournament, 3-0 record.
Wins over Golden Bear, Marin & West Bay

STANFORD ATHLETES REPRESENT PACIFIC ZONE
From June 28-July 1, six Stanford players represented the Pacific Zone at the National Youth Team tryouts in Los Alamitos. Marianne Kixmiller, Jessica Goldner, Laurel Champion, Lindsey O'Farriell, Erica Wilson and Anne-Lise Maag helped the Pacific Zone team to a strong showing under head coach Kyle Utsumi. Champion was one of 18 players selected by Olympic coach Guy Baker to return to Los Al for a Thanksgiving training camp.

On July 14-15, Stanford members were in San Diego playing for the Pacific Zone in the California State Games. Amy Gardner and Kai Lai were on the silver medal winning Pacific "Red" team, coached by Kristeena Schlosser. Winning the bronze medal on the Pacific "Blue" team were Taryn Appelblom, Molly Hayes and Elizabeth Balassone.

NISCA ALL-AMERICAN HONORS
The National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association (NISCA) has released its 2001 All-American teams. Stanford club members earning these honors were: Laurel Champion (2nd team), Marianne Kixmiller (2nd team), Erica Wilson (3rd team), Jessica Goldner (4th team) and Brittani Llorente (5th team).
• Click here for the complete list of 2001 NISCA Girls High School All-Americans

STANFORD SHOWS ITS STUFF AT OTC: Stanford was well represented at the USWP Age Group Development Camp at the USA Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs over the break. Remy Champion, Natalie O'Farriell and Chad Cashin braved 71 degree water and impressed many of the intern coaches with their knowledge and skills. Intern coach Kristeena Schlosser led her team to the championship game of the Snow Bowl. Stanford's Kyle Utsumi was the head coach of the camp and Courtney Johnson (volunteer assistant) was a staff coach.
• Click here for a larger version of the picture.
• What is the USWP Age Group Development Camp?
• Player spotlights: Remy, Natalie and Chad

BOYS 9TH, GIRLS 7TH AT SPEEDO CUP: The boys and girls 14-under teams returned from St Peters after finishing ninth and seventh respectively at the USWP Speedo Cup. JP MacDonell and Natalie O'Farriell earned the Jody Campbell Award in recognition of their effort and spirit for the game of water polo. Girls photo #1 | Girls photo #2