Freshmen Make Immediate Impact for Women’s Water Polo

With the loss of key players a year ago and a roster with more rookies than juniors and seniors combined, 2002 looked to be a rebuilding year for the Harvard women’s water polo team. What the Crimson is building could become very special very quickly.

The 2002 Crimson enjoyed a successful season with a very young team, taking third at the Northern Division Championships to qualify for Easterns and ultimately finishing in seventh place.

Eight members of the 19-woman roster were freshmen, and the team lost its two best players—Jess Gunderson ’01 and Natasha Magnuson ’01—to graduation the previous summer. But the Crimson confronted the challenges head-on.

“We walked in and said, ‘We’re young, okay, but that doesn’t meant we’re not in a position to win,’” said Harvard Coach Jim Floerchinger. “Talented, smart people will find a way to put it together.”

A lot of that talent came from the freshman class. The Codini twins, Teresa and Cristina, emerged in their first campaigns to become two of the Crimson’s premier offensive threats, with Teresa garnering First Team All-Northern Division honors.

“Our freshmen did a tremendous job this year,” said co-captain Christine Meiers.

But while much of the talent came from the ranks of the underclassmen, the leadership needed to make the unit cohesive came from the veterans.

“We had good leadership from the seniors,” Floerchinger said. “They provided some maturity and did a good job.”

Harvard’s sophomores and juniors, already battle-tested by a 2001 season that had been marred by a rash of injuries and other problems, were also a source of strength and guidance.

“Complementing the youngsters, our sophomore and junior players also matured this year to take on new leadership roles,” Meiers said. “With their help, our freshmen quickly adjusted to the rigors of college water polo.”

Meiers, fellow co-captain Danielle McCarthy and senior driver Jill Ono led a team that ran up a six-game winning streak at midseason.

The Crimson eventually saw that streak end at the hands of a rival that had its number all season—No. 20 Brown. The regional and Ivy League nemesis defeated the Crimson on four occasions, including in the early rounds of both the ECAC and Northern Championships.

But none of the games was decided by more than three points, and with the continued maturation of the freshmen class and the presence of veterans like juniors Tiana Peterson—a driver who was also an All-Northern Second Team selection—and speedster Jane Humphries, that trend could be reversed very quickly. So could Harvard’s absence from the NCAA Tournament.

“I’m confident that the team will be extremely competitive next year,” Meiers said. “The competition in women’s East Coast water polo has certainly become fiercer over the past two years, but our team has continually improved in order to meet this challenge. In light of the talented incoming class of freshmen, I would not count the Crimson out in the race for a NCAA bid.”

WOMEN'S WATER POLO

RECORD 5-6

COACH Jim Floerchinger

CAPTAINS Christine Meiers, Danielle McCarthy

HIGHLIGHTS Crimson takes third at Northern Championships, then finishes seventh at Easterns. Freshman Teresa Codini earns First Team All-Northern honors.