SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State water polo team has garnered a No. 23 ranking in the Collegiate Water Polo Association’s 2025 preseason poll, which was released from the organization’s offices in Bridgeport, Pa.
The Aztecs, who finished last season with ranked No. 21, are one of five Golden Coast Conference (GCC) programs to appear in the preseason poll. The other four GCC programs which are ranked going into the upcoming season are Fresno State (No. 9), LMU (No. 10), Pacific (No. 19) and California Baptist (No. 25).
Among the 12 ranked opponents on the Aztecs current schedule are: No. 6 Princeton (March 14), No. 9 Fresno State (March 29), No. 10 LMU (April 12), No. 11 Indiana (March 16), No. 12 UC San Diego (April 20), No. 13 Arizona State (Jan. 18), No. 15 UC Davis (Jan. 19), No. 16 CSUN (March 15), No. 18 San Jose State (Feb. 9), No. 19 Pacific (April 12,) and tied at No. 25 California Baptist (Jan. 18) and Pomona-Pitzer (Feb. 15).
In 2024, under the tutelage of head coach Dana Ochsner, San Diego State posted a winning record, 17-15, for the first time in seven seasons. SDSU was 4-3 in Golden Coast Conference (GCC) action and finished in third place in the conference’s season ending tournament. SDSU returns first-team All-GCC honoree Claudia Valdes and honorable mention All-GCC and a member of the All-Freshman Team Mimi Stoupas.
Valdes, a native of Madrid, Spain, totaled 70 goals in the regular season to lead San Diego State and ranked third in the conference. She is the first Aztec to score at least 70 goals in a season since Amber Pezzolla finished the 2013 campaign with 71. In addition to her goal scoring prowess, the attacker tops the team in points (106), steals (35), blocks (16) and shots (134), and is second in assists (36) and shot percentage (.522). Among GCC performers, she leads the league in blocks, ranks second in points, sixth in steals and seventh in assists. Valdes, a junior in 2025, has 15 hat tricks in 29 games, including four in the team's seven conference games, and has scored multiple goals in 22 contests.
Stoupas, who has appeared in 29 regular season games, ranked second on the squad with 34 goals on 59 shots. She led the team in shot percentage (.542) as well as ejections drawn (43). In addition, the freshman center from Melbourne, Australia, had 10 steals and has assisted on two goals. She has scored multiple goals in 10 games, including four hat tricks and had 12 contests with multiple ejections drawn, including a season-best five vs. No. 22 CSUN. Stoupas is the ninth Aztec in as many years to be included on the conference's all-freshman team while Valdes garnered first-team distinction for the first time in her college career and represents SDSU with its 17th first team honor in its 11 years in the league.
San Diego State opens its 2025 season at Arizona State’s ASU Invitational from Saturday to Sunday, Jan. 18-19 in Tempe, Arizona. SDSU plays California Baptist (12:40 p.m. PT) and host Arizona State (5 p.m. PT) on Saturday and then face the New York Athletic Club in an exhibition (9 a.m. PT), Cal Lutheran (11:30 a.m. PT) and UC Davis (2 p.m. PT) on Sunday.