The Hawaiian, the stalwart goalie, the comeback student and the transfers all came to UCSD for a similar opportunity: to be given a shot to play the highest level of women’s water polo. They congregated at the beginning of the 2004 season without much experience, but progressed to storm the upper echelons of collegiate water polo.
As UCSD women’s water polo seniors Meris Bantilan-Smith, Andrea Cornford, Rachael Kleidon, Stephanie Lombardo and Lesha Bounds move on from the sport, they have no regrets about being defeated in the conference championship title game, and will always remember how they came together to become good teammates and even better friends.
“This group was one that had to come together,” UCSD head coach Larry Sanders said. “Each individual had something to contribute, and all of these contributions helped create team chemistry. They all had the ability to work hard and left it all out in the pool … there were no individuals.”
As a Division II school, UCSD boasts top-quality academics and athletics without the allure of scholarships. Despite paying for their own education, the nonscholarship opportunity afforded the five seniors a fair chance to play water polo without being overlooked because they didn’t get full rides.
“I realized that I would be able to play and be around people that were playing for the sport, not money,” Bantilan-Smith said. “We could have gone to scholarship schools, but we wanted that opportunity to show what we’re capable of.”
Bantilan-Smith and Cornford joined the team in 2001 straight from high school. As a native Hawaiian and the only non-Californian on the squad, Bantilan-Smith had to accustom herself to the variable climate.
“Meris [Bantilan-Smith] didn’t own a pair of pants until she came to San Diego, and she was mad that she had to wear shoes all the time,” Cornford said.
Bantilan-Smith saw extensive time from the start, averaging 134.5 quarters in each of her first two years. Lombardo and Bounds transferred in the following seasons from Golden West Junior College, a powerhouse among two-year schools. Right away, Lombardo claimed a starting spot in goal, amassing a 5.43 goals-per-game average in 2002 before sustaining a torn shoulder labrum and bicep that kept her out of the pool for a season and a half.
“I couldn’t move it much or throw forward, much less swim,” Lombardo said in an earlier interview.
Cornford took on the starting job for the rest of the season, playing 64 quarters and allowing a 6.5 goals-per-game average in the cage.
Kleidon, a water polo player in high school, had dropped the sport in favor of her studies, but after three years could no longer resist the urge to get back in the pool. Her strong swimming helped her land a place, but she was challenged in recapturing her game sense.
“It was hard acclimating back into polo,” Kleidon said. “I had no idea what I was doing when I was going for balls, but Larry took a risk in giving me time to get my skills.”
By 2004, the five seniors took the reins. Besides perennial starter Bantilan-Smith, the team was low on experience because the core of the team from the previous four years graduated after the 2003 season. Whatever challenges lay ahead, however, the girls knew they were going to do it together.
“They were like your instant friends,” Bounds said of her teammates.
As the most experienced player, Bantilan-Smith anchored the team on both sides of the pool, racking 51 goals for the season and 138 for her career. Her 87 steals in 2004 constituted a new record, nudging past roommate and 2003 graduate Samara Silverman’s old mark of 86.
Lombardo completed her arduous comeback after taking a redshirt year and reclaimed her spot in between the pipes. Her 5.59 goals-against average was among the best in the Western Water Polo Association and her 238 saves in 2004 was the fourth-best single-season performance. As a backup, Cornford didn’t see much playing time, but managed to amass a 1.50 goals-per-game average. Her experience, however, was key to the effort.
“Andrea [Cornford] didn’t get a lot of time, but she contributed outside of the pool … she had a strong role in being a team member,” Sanders said.
Bounds saw a lot of action at 2-meters while splitting the position with freshman Natalie Hockett. Bounds scored 11 goals in 2004 and her 42 ejections drawn was the second highest on the team. Kleidon, a utility, saw 84 quarters of action, racking up 20 steals as well as three goals in 14 attempts.
Coming together as a team was a challenge for the squad, but their efforts culminated in another WWPA runner-up finish. Still, the experiences along the way will be dear to the Tritons. One, in particular, was a trip to Michigan to open the season.
“We showed our experience in the cold by wearing flip-flops when we arrived,” Bantilan-Smith said. “Larry was wearing shorts. It was the first time a lot of us had seen falling snow, but we were freezing … it was negative 12 degrees!”
These seniors loved to tickle their funny bones with hijinks, especially at team retreats.
“We’d play this game where the coaches separated the players with blankets, and when they dropped them, you had to say the other person’s name as fast as you can,” Kleidon said. “The problem was we couldn’t do it. You’d see them and know their name but your mind would stumble and we’d laugh at each other.”
It was all business in the pool, and the seniors reveled in beating rival UC Davis twice, especially after the Aggies cried foul in the WWPA seeding.
“Davis thought that they were better than us to get second seeding, even though we had beaten them, because of their higher record,” Bantilan-Smith said. “Then we went out and kicked their butt by four … they were in it for the first three minutes and part of the third quarter, but we were still up by five … it was awesome.”
The hours and commitment were demanding for the seniors, who spent the better part of each week with each other, but they will miss some perks.
“Being tan in winter was great … people would ask if we did ‘fake and bake’ — no, we’re all-natural,” Kleidon said. “I sure do hate the tan lines the Speedo suit gave us.”
Now that practices are over, players miss spending time with each other. Even seeing each other an hour or two out of the day isn’t enough.
“I miss seeing the girls every day … we run into each other and I have some in my classes, but it’s not the same,” Lombardo said, voicing a sentiment shared by the other seniors.
“I’ll even miss hell week!” Bounds said, referring to the intense conditioning that takes place in the first week of the season. “As much as you hated it, we’ll never have that experience again.”
As graduation approaches, each senior has plans. Kleidon will turn a love for animals into a career as a wildlife veterinarian, after a possible trip to study bonobos in Africa. Cornford plans on obtaining her Ph.D. in a biological science and doing research. Bounds will be married on July 31 and will study either massage therapy or physical therapy. Her teammates boasted of her prowess in massage and took advantage of her back-cracking skills anytime they could. Lombardo will pursue a graduate degree in healthcare administration with the ultimate goal of running a hospital. Bantilan-Smith plans on taking a year off.
Despite graduating and going their separate ways, each player knows where she can find an old teammate — near the pool.
“On to the alumni game!” Bantilan-Smith said.
