No. 5-Ranked Aztecs Qualify as Sixth Seed for Collegiate Nationals
The San Diego State women's water polo team (16-14, 4-5 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) will compete at the 2000 Collegiate National Championships in Bloomington, Ind., May 7-9.
The Aztecs have qualified for nationals every year since the program began in 1995.
San Diego State is 16-6 all-time at the collegiate nationals. The highest finish for an Aztec squad was when SDSU finished runner-up to Slippery Rock in 1995.
First-Round Opponent
SDSU will face UC Santa Barbara in first-round action on Friday, May 5, at 11:45 a.m. (EST) at the Indiana Univ. Councilman/Billingsley Natatorium in Bloomington, Ind.
The Gauchos are familiar foes for the Aztecs as both teams compete in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. The teams have faced off twice this season with SDSU winning both contests.
The Aztecs hold a 17-5 all-time advantage over the Gauchos.
SDSU-UCSB Series Breakdown
Date Winner ScoreSDSU Leading Scorer(s)
3/3 SDSU 6-4 Baltgalvis 3
4/22 SDSU 9-8 Prestegard, Finnegan, Baltgalvis, Lopez with 2
SDSU vs. National Qualifiers
San Diego State has faced 10 of the 15 other teams competing in this year's tournament. The Aztecs are 9-13 vs. national-qualifying teams. The Aztecs have not played Princeton, Massachusetts, Indiana, Michigan or Harvard.
Team Record vs. Team Season Scores (SDSU score listed first)
Stanford 0-2 6-7, 6-9
UCLA 0-2 6-8, 9-14
California 0-2 5-10, 1-5
USC 0-3 8-12, 6-17, 8-10
San Jose State 0-1 5-6
UC Davis 0-1 7-12
Hawai`i 2-1 7-8, 12-4, 7-4
Long Beach State 3-1 8-7, 5-6, 9-8 (ot), 5-4
UC Santa Barbara 2-0 6-4, 9-8
Loyola Marymount 2-0 12-2, 12-4
Aztecs Finish Third at Southern California Regionals
San Diego State is coming off a third-place finish at the Southern California Regionals.
The Scarlet and Black went 3-1 in the two-day tournament, defeating UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara and Loyola Marymount while falling to USC.
SDSU in the Polls
The National Women's Water Polo Top-20 Poll has SDSU ranked fifth going into the 2000 National Collegiate Championships. This is the fourth straight week SDSU has been in the top five.
Head Coach Carin Crawford
Carin Crawford is in her second year at the helm of the Aztec water polo program. In that time, she has compiled a 39-33 record while leading SDSU to collegiate national championship berths both seasons. Last year, San Diego State finished the season fifth in the nation.
Crawford has been involved with water polo as a player and coach for over 12 years. Prior to her arrival at SDSU, Crawford served as head coach of the Mesa College (San Diego) water polo team. She also helped build one of the nation's premier club teams as a coach and player with the Sunset San Diego girls water polo club.
Crawford is a 1989 graduate of UC San Diego where she was a two-time All-America selection in water polo.
Peaking at the Right Time
Although San Diego State got off to a slow start this season, dropping six of its first seven, the Aztecs have steadily come back to erase any doubts about this year's team, winning eight of their last nine contests.
In the final eight victories of the season, the Aztec defense has held opponents to 4.00 goals per game while the offense has netted 7.75 goals per game -- a 3.75 margin of victory in that span.
Baltgalvis Is Ballin'
Senior two-meter player Larisa Baltgalvis will close out a brilliant career at the 2000 Collegiate Nationals Championships. A native of San Diego (Helis HS) , Baltgalvis has single-handedly rewritten SDSU's record books since arriving on Montezuma Mesa.
Baltgalvis is SDSU's all-time scoring leader with 232 goals and also holds the record for goals in a season when she netted 106 in 1999. She currently has 61 goals in 2000, which is tops on this year's squad.
Baltgalvis also has the ability to create scoring opportunities for her teammates when she has the ball. She is SDSU's career leader in assists with 56, with 23 of those coming in 2000. In 1999, she set the school record for assists in a season with 30.
On defense, the story is no different. Baltgalvis has 43 steals this season and 159 for her career. Her career mark is third best all-time at SDSU.
Throughout her career, Baltgalvis has received numerous awards. This season she was named first-team all region and first-team All-MPSF. As a junior, she garnered first-team All-America honors in addition to being recognized first-team All-MPSF while her sophomore campaign saw her earn All-Academic MPSF accolades. Baltgalvis has also been honored as an SDSU scholar-athlete.
Curran's Cage
Goalkeeper Curran Teigen has had an exceptional year in the cage for SDSU. The Lakeside, Calif., native has 230 saves and has allowed 145 goals in 25.25 games - a 6.74 average. Teigen has six steals this season and has assisted on seven goals. She was named first team all-region this season in addition to being tabbed honorable mention All-MPSF. Teigen is San Diego State's all-time leader in saves with 869 in her four years.
Dunbar's "D"
Aztec defensive specialist Megan Dunbar may be one of the nation's most underrated players. A two-year starter at SDSU, Dunbar has snagged 261 steals which is the most ever by an Aztec. She also set the school record for thefts in a season when she recorded 168 steals in 1999. On April 9, 2000, against Long Beach State, Dunbar tied her own record for thefts in a single-game when she stole the ball nine times vs. the 49ers. She set the previous mark on March 4, 1999, also vs. the LBSU.
Special "K"
Junior Kelly Falcone has made an impact in her first season as a Aztec. A junior college transfer, Falcone has established herself as one of SDSU's better all-around players by making contributions on both sides of the ball. Currently, Falcone is third on this year's team in scoring with 32 goals, fourth in assists with 14 and fourth in steals with 22.
Fabulous Freshmen
Freshmen have been key in SDSU's success this season as they have accounted for 50 percent of SDSU's scoring.
Amber Prestegard leads the way for the freshmen. Her 50 goals this season is the third best output by a freshman at SDSU, and she is eight goals short of the second highest total for a rookie. Prestegard has led the Aztecs in scoring seven different times this season and averages 1.67 goals per game. She set the school record for assists in a single game when she assisted on five scores in SDSU's 12-2 rout of Loyola Marymount. Prestegard is also one of two freshmen to see action in every game this season.
Casey Finnegan has also been a major contributor on this year's team. Finnegan has netted 14 goals, assisted on seven and snagged 14 steals on the year. With Prestegard, she is the other freshman who has participated in all 30 contests.
Heidi Matsumoto and Jackie Lopez are freshmen who have left their mark as well. Matsumoto joined the squad mid-season after competing for the Aztec swimming team. Since her arrival, she has scored five times, grabbed eight steals and assisted on two goals. Lopez has 15 goals on the year to go along with four steals and an assist.
2000 STATISTICS
INDIVIDUALS
Name G Gls Ast St G/Gm
Larisa Baltgalvis 30 61 23 43 2.03
Amber Prestegard 30 50 18 18 1.67
Kelly Falcone 30 32 14 22 1.07
Natalie Nipper 1 1 1 0 1.00
Megan Dunbar 30 19 29 93 0.63
Jackie Lopez 24 15 1 4 0.63
Casey Finnegan 30 14 7 14 0.47
Whitney Winlow 30 11 7 23 0.37
Brenna Wylie 4 1 1 0 0.25
Heidi Matsumoto 22 5 2 8 0.23
Kristin Haddock 9 1 0 0 0.11
Shannon Halpin 30 3 6 10 0.10
Abby Carlson 11 1 1 2 0.09
Nicole Morasky 16 1 0 2 0.06
Lisa Swain 20 0 1 2 0.00
Belen Monterrubio 7 0 3 3 0.00
Curran Teigen 26 0 7 6 0.00
Becky Sensney 9 0 0 1 0.00
Heidi Bradley 2 0 0 1 0.00
Alexis Salkin 1 0 0 1 0.00
Totals 30 215 121 253 6.96
GOALKEEPERS
Name G Saves Sv/G GA GA/G
Curran Teigen 25.25 230 9.11 145 6.74
Belen Monterrubio 4.75 38 8.00 60 12.63
Totals 30.00 268 8.93 205 6.83
BY QUARTERS 1 2 3 4 OT Total
Opponent 51 49 47 58 0 205
San Diego State 60 53 49 52 1 215
CAREER RECORDS
Goals
1. Larisa Baltgalvis, 1997- 232
2. Shae Philpott, 1995-98 205
3. Sara Hanneman, 1996-99 180
4. Teri Mullins, 1995-98 122
5. Lisa Phillips, 1995-96 102
Assists
1. Larisa Baltgalvis, 1997- 56
2. Megan Dunbar, 1999- 47
Rachel Scott, 1995-98 47
3. Shae Philpott, 1995-98 33
4. Teri Mullins, 1995-98 33
5. Leslie Story, 1995 26
Steals
1. Megan Dunbar, 1999- 261
2. Sara Hanneman, 1996-99 182
3. Larisa Baltgalvis, 1997- 159
4. Rachel Scott, 1995-98 106
5. Teri Mullins, 1995-98 104
Single-Season records
Goals
1. Larisa Baltgalvis, 1999 106
2. Sara Hanneman, 1999 79
3. Lisa Phillips, 1995 71
4. Shae Philpot, 1996 68
5. Larisa Baltgalvis, 2000 61
Assists
1. Larisa Baltgalvis, 1999 30
2. Megan Dunbar, 2000 29
3. Sara Hanneman, 1999 27
4. Leslie Story, 1995 26
5. Larisa Baltgalvis, 2000 23
Tracy Young, 1995 23
Steals
1. Megan Dunbar, 1999 168
2. Sara Hanneman, 1999 128
3. Wendy Jensen, 1999 97
4. Megan Dunbar, 2000 93
5. Larisa Baltgalvis, 1999 86