H₂O Polo at Yale

Founded in 1993, Yale Women's Water Polo is a club team that competes in the New England Division of the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA). We invite both undergraduate and graduate students with any level of experience to participate. Poke around the website to find out more about us, then contact us if you want to play!

2011 Season Update

The Yale Women’s water polo team ended their 2011 season on a high note after clinching a 3rd place finish at the New England League Championships. Originally seeded 5th heading into the weekend, the team managed to rout 4th seed USCGA, 15-4, to qualify for the semifinals, where the team fell to eventual champions Dartmouth in a hard fought 11-7 defeat. However, the Bulldogs rallied their strengths and efforts for their final game of the season by besting Williams 19-3 in the 3rd place game, in a final display of coherent team play.

The team especially benefited from a large freshman recruitment class - which included several experienced players and swimmers, along with two players that were brand new to the game. Gianna Fote, a freshman from Malibu, CA, became the team's top scorer - amassing 14 points at championships alone. She won CWPA Northeast Division Player of the Week for her extraordinary play in the second league tournament. Another freshman, Courtney Halgren, stepped immediately into goal with a can-do attitude and started there for the Bulldogs every game this season, even though she had never seen a polo game before coming to Yale. Courtney and Sophie Engelstein (also 2014) will manage the team next year, and will be joined by their rising Sophomore comrades Brittany Robinson (who unfortunately had to sit out the last two tournaments due to a concussion, but rooted for the team from the bench), Cindy Li, and Noelle Thew. The upperclassman core of the team remained strong despite graduating seven seniors last year. Margaret Lazzarini (2013) proved a threatening shooter from outside and will assume the captainship (after a year of comanaging) from Blake Zwerling (2012) who will continue as the team's primary two meter offensive player next year. Mary Hadley and Stephanie Cuevas (both 2012) were the hearts of the team as comanager and player-coach respectively. Senior Kirsten Forsberg was the second highest scorer at championships, while still managing to play primary two meter defense. She and Karin Lee, our other graduating senior, will be sorely missed as they end four years playing for the Bulldogs. Laslty, being a club sport, the team benefited from graduate students Krysta Titel and Joy Cyprian that joined Kim Tsao - last year's player coach - who contributed their years of experience playing water polo as undergraduates.

If there is one theme for this year’s team, it would be improvement. At the first league tournament, Yale lost all of its games, including 9-5 and 7-5 defeats to Coast Guard and Williams. The margins of victory at the final tournament versus both opponents as well as the hard-fought nature of the losses to Boston College and Dartmouth signal a bright outlook for seasons to come. 6 of 7 starters return for next season.