Dec. 22, 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 2005 team. The Aztecs were in a transition year and posted a 16-18 record and finished 11th in the nation under head coach Carin Crawford. Since that season, SDSU has posted nine straight 20-win campaigns.
Where are they now?
Savanah Kelley Goodwin played at SDSU from 2003-06 and currently sits in a tie for ninth place on SDSU's all-time steals chart with 178 over her career. At the end of her final season, the former Kelley's 178 thefts ranked fifth in school history. The utility helped the Aztecs to an 85-51 record and three top-7 national finishes during her time atop Montezuma Mesa.
Questions for Savanah:
1. Where are you living and what have you been up to since graduating from SDSU?
"After graduating I hung around San Diego for a few years, living the life in Point Loma, riding my bike to work and kayaking at Kellogg Beach by the apartment Chris (my husband) and I rented. In 2009, Chris proposed to me in Catalina and we started thinking about where we could afford to set some roots. We decided to make the journey back to our home town and families in Modesto where we currently live with our daughter Ellie and dog Hurly.
"I had graduated from the Hospitality and Tourism management program at SDSU and worked at various Marriott hotels in San Diego. I continued my career back in the Valley and am currently the Regional Director of Sales for Interstate Hotels and Resorts. I love my job; it allows me the opportunity to travel, mentor my sales teams, expand my knowledge of the industry and the hotel discounts are pretty awesome, too!"
2. While at SDSU, you had to play home games at the Ray and Joan Kroc Center. How was it having to play off campus?
"The Ray and Joan Kroc Center was a really great facility, but when I visited the Aquaplex for the first time I just kept thinking to myself those girls better truly appreciate this! Though the drive to the Kroc Center was not bad at all, it often seemed daunting when morning practice would roll around or when you had class right before or after practices. I can't even remember how many tickets I got for parking in faculty spots on campus to have quick access to my car so I wouldn't be late for practice. My favorite part about the Kroc Center were the fond memories had in the "Party Room." Whether it was going there to watch game tape, have a team meeting (which we would often times work to drag out so practice would be that much shorter), host our annual white elephant gift exchange, get pumped up for our games...the list goes on. Lastly, who could forget jumping off the high dive on your birthday and getting 20+ water polo balls thrown at you, all at once, with full force! I totally miss all that!"
3. Van rides are a must when traveling to games and tournaments. Can you tell me one of your favorite van ride stories?
"Van rides were definitely a time for bonding, not like we didn't spend so much time together already, but it's much different when you are packed 12-14 in a van for a few hours. The dynamics of the group typically followed a certain pattern. Everyone was always in a great mood in the beginning. We would do a really fun small gift exchange called "secret sister" so there would be pigging out on candy, painting of nails and reading trashy magazines. The ride would continue with various girl talk, bad singing and even some studying. Then, as we got closer to our destination (especially if we were playing right away), the ear phones would pop in, everyone would get quiet and you could feel the nervous/excited energy as we all got mentally prepared for our game. The ride home would go one of two ways depending on if we won or lost. If we lost, everyone was quiet and it would take something epic to break the tension. If we won, the energy was infectious even if you were in your seat beating yourself up about the way you played. Either way, a majority of us were passed out sleeping within the first hour because we were so exhausted from the game or our eyes were killing us from the chlorine."
4. What made you choose SDSU?
"I remember I wanted to go away from home, but not out of the state. I love being outdoors as well as the sun and the sand, so the idea of going to a school near the beach, with great weather, was really intriguing. I had my choices narrowed down to UCSB and SDSU. When I visited SDSU, I really felt welcomed and everyone on the team was so down to earth. I was hosted by the upperclassmen and got to stay in their house, which was a great experience. Coming from a small town, I was just blown away by the city of San Diego, the beautiful beaches and the fact that there was so much to do and not to mention all the great food! Having a former high school teammate, Becky Sensney, on the team also made my decision that much easier."
5. Have you stayed in contact with any of your former teammates? If so, who?
"I really wish I was in contact with more of them on a regular basis. Though, I am constantly keeping up with each and every one of them on Facebook. I am so incredibly proud of all of my teammates! I love all of my girls and think of them often. There are a few that I am in contact with more frequently. Monica Farren and I have become a lot closer the last few years as our daughters were born a couple weeks apart so we really were there for one another during our first pregnancies and have continued to remain close as our daughters grow. Rachel Serna, my roommate in college, and I still remain great friends. She is just one of those people that I can be totally myself around and we get each other's quirky humor."
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 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004