Women's Water Polo Readies for NCAA Tournament

National Championship: Stanford's women's water polo team, with a 31-8 overall record, enters the National Championship Tournament, May 9-11 at the University of Michigan, as the number three seed behind Mountain Pacific Sports Federation opponents UCLA and California. The Cardinal will face #11 Michigan and #6 UC Santa Barbara in round-robin play on Friday, May 9. Tournament play finishes on Sunday, May 11 with the third/fourth place game at 1:30 pm (EST) and the championship game at 3:00 pm (EST).

Head Coach Ben Quittner: Ben Quittner, a former member of the Hungarian National Team, is in his second season as head coach of Stanford's women's water polo team. Last season, he led the Cardinal to a fifth place national ranking in just its first season as a varsity team. Quittner also finished his seventh season as assistant coach of the Stanford men's water polo team. A native of Budapest, Quittner previously served as the head water polo coach at the University of Michigan. There, he led the Wolverines to two Big-10 titles.

Season In Review: The Cardinal finished the season with a 31-8 overall record. Stanford's 4-1 MPSF record placed the team atop in the Northern Division. The Cardinal began the season with a third place finish at the San Diego Tournament, but took first place two weeks later at the Santa Barbara Tournament. Down the stretch in the season, the Cardinal won 12 consecutive games, including a 5-4 decision over Cal on April 3. Stanford finished third at the National Qualifying Tournament, defeating San Diego State in the final game.

MPSF Honors: Several Stanford players were recognized by the conference for their efforts this season. Ellen Estes and Lindsay Welsh were named to the Northern Division First Team, while Alice Cathcart and Suze Gardner were named to the Second Team.

Printer-friendly format	Email this article