Oct. 9, 2014
SAN DIEGO - Starting with the first week of classes back in late August, we began to look at every varsity women's water polo team in school history, which spans 20 seasons. This week we look at the 2000 team. The Aztecs earned a berth to the Collegiate National Championship in Bloomington, Indiana, for the sixth straight year where they split four games. SDSU finished with an 18-16 record and finished sixth nationally under head coach Carin Crawford.
Where are they now?
Kelly Falcone played two seasons atop Montezuma Mesa, earning varsity letters in 2000 and 2001. In those two seasons, she helped the Aztecs to a pair of top-7 national finishes. In her second campaign, she earned National Collegiate Select All-Tournament Second-Team honors and was an MPSF All-Academic Team performer. In 2000, Falcone also garnered ACWPC All-Academic Excellent Team accolades.
Questions for Kelly:
1. Where are you living these days and what are you up to?
"I live in San Marcos and just started my 11th year teaching at Palomar College. I began my career at Palomar in 2004 as the head women's water polo coach and absolutely loved coaching. I made the difficult decision in 2009 to take a break from coaching to begin a doctoral program and fulfill my dream of earning a doctorate degree. I am about a year from becoming a doctor of education in educational technology. I have also started a new role at Palomar College as the professional development coordinator, which allows me to use my coaching skills to lead faculty workshops and help teachers learn new skills. Besides work and school, I travel as much as possible!"
2. You were the head coach for women's water polo at Palomar College for many years, are you still coaching or involved with water polo in any way?
"I am no longer coaching, but I do still play in at least one tournament each year. This last year I competed in Masters Nationals with the Old Mission Beach Athletic Club. I am hoping life slows down a little so I have some more time to get back in the pool. What I love most about playing with OMBAC is the time with all of my teammates. Water polo is truly like a family and I cherish the times I get to spend with the team."
3. You played at SDSU when we didn't have a pool on campus. What was it like as a student-athlete to travel to practice daily and can you recall one of your favorite memories of Bud Kearns Pool?
"I just drove by Bud Kearns recently and all the memories started coming back to me. Although we all complained about having to drive to Bud Kearns each day, I have so many memories about the time we spent together in the car! And the showers... they were awful! I hope the girls at the new pool are very thankful for what they have! Besides our competitions at Bud Kearns which were all memorable, what always makes me smile is thinking about our annual alumni game. The games were always competitive, but there was a whole lot of fun mixed in with the competition. I loved playing this game and laughing the whole time we were playing."
4. What is your fondest memory of playing water polo at SDSU?
"My fondest memories definitely have to do with all the fun I had with my teammates. However, a game that I vividly remember was one of our conference games at Stanford when we came back from a pretty big deficit and got really close to winning, all while secret service were positioned around the pool. Chelsea Clinton was watching that game and I thought it was pretty cool. Unfortunately we lost by one goal, but it was a great game."
5. Now that the date is out for the 2015 alumni game (Jan. 17), will you be attending the game this year? I know we'd love to see you!
"I have missed the alumni game for several years as I always seem to be out of town that weekend or working. But, I will do my best to attend this year. It is on the calendar and I can't wait to catch up with everyone!"
Stay Connected with SDSU Water Polo
Make sure to stay updated with Aztec water polo by liking them on Facebook, and following them on Twitter and Instagram.
Former Aztecs can also stay connected with other former student-athletes through the Aztec Varsity Club. For more information on the newly formed athletics group, visit goaztecs.com/avc or contact Johanna Pfeiffer at (619) 594-6444 or aztecvarsityclub@mail.sdsu.edu.
A Look Back at 20 Years of SDSU Water Polo: 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999