Women's Water Polo opens its 2022 campaign at home this week with a pre-tournament game against Golden West on Thursday (1:30) and the Central Coast Classic on Friday and Saturday.  The team also welcomes its third coach in the past three seasons with the return of 2015 Cuesta College Outstanding Athlete of the Year Rachel Gruetzmacher (pict-L).  Gruetzmacher takes over a program that has played only a dozen games since its 2019 playoff run.  The Poloists were one of only three teams in the State to play during the 2020 pandemic season and went 0-5 against mostly four-year schools.  In 2021, injuries marred the season from the start and the Cougars were not healthy enough to play past the second week, until tragedy finally and officially ended the season in October.  Women's Water Polo, which began in 1999, owns the highest winning percentage of any women's team on campus over the past two decades and the program was on a three-year playoff run when the pandemic hit.  Gruetzmacher, a two-time All American, holds Cuesta's single season scoring record (100 goals) and spent two seasons as a Cuesta Assistant.  She has been tasked with righting the ship.  

Gruetzmacher does not enter the season with an empty cupboard, but has the benefit of three returning starters and a wealth of talented newcomers with speed to burn. Returning Freshmen Chloe Porter and Anna Kreowski combined to account for five goals per game last season.  Porter scored 18 goals, while Kreowski netted 17 in their seven-game season.  The duo will anchor the team this year and are skilled in all facets of the game. Porter was second on the team with seven assists, while Kreowski was second on the team with 13 fouls drawn.  On defense, Porter and fellow returner Ryan Rascon (pict-R), who was limited to only five games due to injury, tied for second on the team with a dozen steals.  The trio will also be joined by a couple of their lane-mates from the swim team.  Cuesta Women's Swimming finished 3rd at the 2022 CCCAA State Championships and, while Poloists Porter, Kreowski and Rascon made up half of the six-woman team, All Americans Annie Bartolome, the 2022 Cuesta Outstanding Women's Athlete of the Year, and Jensen Perry are both making the transition from the lanes to the tank this Fall. 

This year the women's team is full of legacy players.  Porter's father (Kelly) and brother (Layne) were both highly decorated players on the men's water polo team and Perry's brothers (Ethan and Stash) are still competing for Cuesta in both water polo and swimming, while Rascon's mother (Kate Graham) also swam for the Cougars.  Two more players with familiar ties will also join the team this Fall.  Drivers Makayla Hermesch and Becca Abbott both had a sister on last year's squad.  Makayla's sister, Madi Hermesch, earned all-WSC Honorable Mention in 2019 and played both of the past two shortened seasons with Becca's sister, Meghan Abbott.  Meghan also earned all-America honors in swimming as the sixth member of the Cougars' women's swim team that placed 3rd at the 2022 CCCAA State Championships.  All-League Freshman Delci Sawyer is another Cuesta Legacy.  Her brother Clayton Sawyer earned all-conference honors for water polo with the Cougars in 2018.

The Cougars will also count on all-league performer Presley Acosta from Redwood HS in Visalia, as well as Newcomers Maya Monferrato and Anisha Arellano, who have recently joined the team.  They shall add quality depth to a small and talented squad.  

Freshman Hanna Bonham will handle the goalkeeping duties and brings a wealth of experience to the nets.  She led Heritage HS in Brentwood, CA to the NCS DI Championship in 2018 and ended her Prep career as the 2021 Team MVP.  

The Cougars open their 2022 campaign against perennial title contender Golden West this Thursday (1:30).  Cuesta will also host the 2022 Central Coast Classic on both Friday and Satuday.  Cuesta is scheduled to play Diablo Valley (1:25) and Santa Monica (5:45) on Friday and Merced (5:45) and Modesto (7 PM) on Saturday. 

Friday, September 9                                                Saturday, September 10

G1       8:00 AM         Golden West - Modesto               G11    7 AM              CUE - MER

G2       9:05 AM         Diablo Valley - Fresno                 G12    8:05 AM         GWC - WVC

G3       10:10 AM       Santa Barbara - Merced               G13    9:10 AM         CERR - DVC

G4       11:15 AM       Santa Moncia - West Valley          G14    10:15  AM      SMC - MER

G5       12:20 PM       Cerritos - FRES                           G15    11:20 AM       GWC - FRES

G6       1:25 PM         Cuesta - DVC                             G16    12:25 PM      SBCC - WVC

G7       2:30 PM         SBCC - MOD                              G17    1:30 PM         CERR - MOD

G8       3:35 PM         GWC - MER                               G18    2:35 PM         SMC - FRES

G9       4:40 PM         CERR - WVC                              G19    3:40 PM         CUE - MOD

G10    5:45 PM          CUE - SMC                                G20    4:45 PM         SBCC - DVC