SAN DIEGO – Carin Crawford, San Diego State women's water polo head coach, announced the signing of Kori Bento, Faith Cerussi, Adrina Daniel, Paige Goemer, Kendall Houck, Laurene Padilla, Katie Scott and Maddie Waasdorp to National Letters of Intent. The eight will compete for the Aztecs beginning in the 2021 season.
Bento is a right-handed attacker out of Santa Margarita Catholic High School (SMCHS) in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. She is a three-year varsity player and led her team to the 2019 Trinity League championship. She has competed for SET Water Polo Club since 2013 and in 2018, her team won the 16U Championship Division at the Junior Olympics after a second place finish the year before in the 16U Classic Division. In 2015, her team took first place in the 14U Division at the Junior Olympics and in 2014 she was an honorable mention All-American in the 12U Division. Bento has also competed for SMCHS in swimming, setting school and league records in the 200 freestyle and medley relays.
"Kori has great end-to-end speed that she uses well in the transition game. We will look to her to bring speed and quickness to the counterattack, and mobility in the front court offense. Kori has an impressive resume both in club and high school competition. She plays at a tempo that translates well to the college game." - San Diego State head coach Carin Crawford
Cerussi, a 5-9 center out of Davis (Calif.) High School is a three-year varsity competitor and has started the last two seasons when the program won the CIF Division I finals. Last year, her first as a starter, she was named her team's Most improved player and earned first-team all-section honors and this season the team just won the Sac-Joaquin Section. Cerussi was named the Delta League MVP after scoring 93 goals this year. Her club experience had been with Davis Water Polo Club, where at the Junior Olympics, the squad earned Gold Division crowns in 2013 (12U) and 2014 & 2015 (14U).
"Faith is a true center who wants the ball in her hand and knows how to finish. She had been a big part of her team's success, contributing to two CIF finals appearances under coach Doug Wright, one of the most successful high school coaches in the nation. She had the physical skills required to succeed at the next level, complemented by excellent emotional intelligence requited of elite centers." - San Diego State head coach Carin Crawford
Daniel is a 5-6 utility player out of San Clemente (Calif.) High School. In each of her four varsity seasons, her team has won the South Coast League Championship and she earned all-league honors in two of those years, 2017 and 2019. An Academic All-American selection by USA Water Polo in 2018, she has earned scholar-athlete designation in both swimming and water polo in each of her high school seasons. Her club competition has been for the San Clemente Tritons (2014-19) and she competed on the ODP SoPac Blue team
"Adrina is a smart attacker who prides herself on defense and earning ejections in transition. She has been a key contributor to her San Clemente High School team and she will develop into a solid player at SDSU." - San Diego State head coach Carin Crawford
Goemer will graduate from Foothill High School in Santa Ana, Calif., in the spring. Her team has made the CIF Division I playoffs in each of her first three high school seasons. Last year, they finished in fourth place. Her sophomore season, the team was fifth and they were eliminated in the second round in her freshman campaign. At the club level, she competed for SoCal Water Polo competing for the 12U, 14U and 16U programs and was awarded MVP honors at the 2015 Colorado ODP camp. In the 18U program, she competed for the Southern Pacific team in the Olympic Development program and finished third in the Junior Olympics' Classic Division with CDM Water Polo.
"Paige is an athletic lefty who plays for one of the elite high school programs in the nation, Foothill High School. She has high level playing experience, but most importantly, Paige has the work ethic that is required to develop into an elite attacker on the 4/5 side." - San Diego State head coach Carin Crawford
Houck is a 5-6 utility from St. Francis Catholic High School in Sacramento, Calif. She has played three years of varsity water polo and earned All-Sac-Joaquin Section honors, including first-team honors in each of the last two seasons. A three-time All-Delta League performer, she led her team to back-to-back appearances in the San-Joaquin Section championship. In addition, the squad made it to a pair of CIF Northern California Division I Championship games, including winning the title in 2017. She was also named her team's Offensive Player of the Year as a freshman and junior. Her club affiliation is with Davis Water Polo Club.
"Kendall is a strong shooting right-handed attacker who uses her speed to create offense in transition and in the front court. Her speed, quickness and agility make her a threat on both sides of the ball. She moves well and will help out team play an up-tempo style of water polo." - San Diego State head coach Carin Crawford
Padilla, a 5-7 utility, is a local product from Carlsbad (Calif.) High School. Her team was the runner up in the CIF Open Division last season, after earning the crown in her sophomore campaign and a semifinal run in Division I her freshman year. In addition, she was named a first-team All-CIF Open Division performer as a sophomore and junior. Carlsbad High School won the Avocado West League (AWL) champions in her freshman and sophomore seasons and she was a first-team all-AWL honoree as a junior and sophomore and an honorable mention performer as a freshman. As a sophomore she was honored as the AWL Player of the Year and followed that up with 79 goals, 51 assists, 17 blocks and a school record 100 steals in her junior season. Her club experience came in six years (2012-18) for Carlsbad Girls Water Polo.
"Laurene is a smart, crafty attacker with championship experience as a member of Carlsbad High School water polo." She sees the pool really well and is adept at finding open teammates, as well as scoring the ball herself. Laurene is a high-IQ player who will make an immediate impact in our program." - San Diego State head coach Carin Crawford
Scott is a San Diego product who will graduate from The Bishop's School in La Jolla, Calif., this spring. An attacker, she has been a three-year starter and her team's second-leading scorer in each of the last two seasons. The team won a pair of CIF Open Division titles, in her freshman and junior campaigns, and was a CIF regional qualifier the past two seasons. In her freshman year the team won the Western League Championship. Individually, she was a second-team All-CIF performer as a sophomore and last season was first-team All-CIF and second-team All-Western League. Scott played 10 years for San Diego Shores Water Polo Club, and was the starting attacker on the club's 12u, 14u and 16u squads.
"Katie has championship experience playing for the top local club and high school program, San Diego Shores and The Bishop School. She is adept at scoring, taking high percentage shots and has a keen sense of pool awareness. Katie knows how to compete and had the ability to complement players around her."
Waasdorp is a 5-8, center defender out of Claremont (Calif.) High School. In her first three seasons she earned All-Palomares League honors, including two first-team selections. In her junior season, she was the team captain, its Offensive Player of the Year and a CIF Southern Section (SS) second-team honoree. As a sophomore, she was again a CIF (SS) second-team performer, an Inland Empire second-team honoree, her school's Defensive Player of the Year and her team reached the Division 3 semifinals. In her freshman season of high school water polo, she was the team's Offensive Player of the Year, and honorable mention CIF (SS) performer and she competed in the Division 4 semifinals.
In six club competitions in the last two years with Rose Bowl Aquatic Center, she and the team have never finished below fourth place.
"Maddie's forte is the defender position, and in that role, she will be expected to be a leader and key contributor to the front court defense. She is also a solid offensive threat as an outside shooter who has high level club experience with Rose Bowl Water Polo Club, which has prepared her well for her future as an Aztec water polo player." - San Diego State head coach Carin Crawford
San Diego State opens the 2020 season on Jan. 18 at the Aztec Aquaplex with an exhibition against its alumni. The match is scheduled to start at 12 p.m. The regular season kicks off with a pair of matches in the Beach Invitational at Long Beach State. The Aztecs will play host Long Beach State at 11 a.m., and La Verne at 3:15 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 25.