March 19, 2015
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 2009 team. The Aztecs finished with a 23-11 record and finished the year ranked eighth nationally, their fourth straight top-10 effort.
Where are they now?
Anna Gonzales Turner played at SDSU from 2006-09, earning four varsity letters and helping the Aztecs to four top-8 national finishes, including two top-5 performances at the NCAA Championship. The former Gonzales was a three-time All-American, two-time NCAA all-tournament selection, all-MPSF honoree and academic all-MPSF choice, and a 2009 ACWPC All-Academic Team member. The Fresno native still ranks in a tie for second on SDSU's all-time single-game goals scored list with seven vs. Long Beach State on March 8, 2009, and is second all-time on the single-season chart with 92 goals in 2009. On the SDSU career list, she ranks second with 273 goals, five shy of the record, sixth in assists with 123, tied for ninth in steals (178) and ninth in ejections drawn (130).
Questions for Anna:
1. Where has life taken you since graduating from SDSU? Where are you living?
"Well, life has taken me many places after graduating from SDSU in 2009. First, I went to Australia at the beginning of 2010. I played water polo in Newcastle just north of Sydney and had a blast traveling around. I came back after the five-month season and lived in Rancho Cucamonga for four months while Eric (my husband, former SDSU soccer player) attended PA school. Shortly after moving in I was offered to play water polo in Italy and thought, `Why they heck not?!' I lived in Italy for eight months (Sept. 2010 - April 2011) eating pizza and playing polo before I moved back to California. Once moving back to California I starting taking prerequisite classes for nursing. In 2012, I got accepted into Duke University and moved to Durham, North Carolina. I now work as a registered nurse in the Duke University Emergency Department."
2. What is your favorite Aztec Water Polo tradition? Why?
"Hmmm, I think Olympic Friday was pretty fun. Even though we were playing games it was a good way to make the practice go by fast while having fun. Jenna Schuster and I were champions in just about everything. Haha."
3. You had the opportunity to play professionally in Australia and Italy after graduation, can you tell us more about your international water polo experience? How does it compare to Division I water polo?
"It was different. SDSU was very competitive. Division I water polo was very intense and very scheduled. Australia was completely opposite. It was so relaxed and not taken as seriously. It was a fun change for a bit. People had lives outside of water polo and that was not something I was used to.
"Italy was more competitive and had a similar schedule to SDSU. We had practice twice a day every day. It was hard because my coach only spoke Italian. It was a lot of hand gestures and translating. It was difficult for me to wrap my brain around speaking Italian while playing instead of yelling things out in English. I started off not saying anything during games which totally isn't my style, but once I got more fluent with the water polo lingo I could call out plays and direct people where to go in Italian.
"What I found most different was the age range of players in both Italy and Australia. I played with someone as young as 14 and old as 35. They were both great experiences and a great chance for me to travel the world."
4. You had many accolades at SDSU from three-time All-American to MVP and are still the only water polo athlete to be named to the NCAA all-tournament team twice. What does it mean to you to represent SDSU in the NCAA record books?
"It's awesome. I am happy that I could make an impact in the program's history. I feel like I made a great choice in SDSU. The program let me be the best water polo player I could be and I made great friends doing something I loved. In reality, it's awesome to be in record books at SDSU, but that's not what I'll remember in 20 years from now. I'll remember being goof balls with my teammates, victories over Cal, and traveling to fun places like Hawaii."
5. Do you still keep in contact with any of your former teammates?
"Yeah, I definitely do. I am still 'besties' with quite a few of them. I've been in a couple of weddings and some of them were in mine. It's amazing to see how our lives have turned out and it's great to be a part of that change."
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 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008