Water Polo Ranked No. 6 in Preseason Poll

The San Diego State women's water polo team has been ranked No. 6 in the nation in the NCAA Division I preseason top-20 poll released by the Collegiate Water Polo Association.

San Diego State is coming off an unprecedented 2008 season that saw the Aztecs earn their second-consecutive at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. SDSU, which finished fifth at the national championships, compiled a 31-7 overall mark, establishing a new school record for victories in a season.

Top players

The Aztecs will return eight letterwinners from last year's squad, including senior All-Americans Anna Gonzales and Jenna Schuster. Schuster, a second-team selection, had an impressive junior campaign, racking up 83 goals, 29 assists and 53 steals. Shuster, who was also a second-team all-MPSF honoree, ranks fourth on the single-season charts after leading the team in goals.

Gonzales, a honorable mention honoree and second-team all-MPSF selection, amassed 77 goals, 52 steals, 39 assists and 37 ejections drawn. Gonzales also garnered second-team NCAA tournament team honors for the second year in a row after racking up a pair of hat tricks during the championships.

Also returning are junior co-captain Danielle Pelke (48 goals, 31 steals, 26 assists) and junior Ronni Gautschi (29 goals, 19 assists, 31 steals, 42 ejections drawn).

Other ranked programs

University of Southern California was ranked No. 1 while Stanford University was selected No. 2 in the preseason poll. University of California Los Angeles (No. 3), University of Hawaii (No. 4) and University of California Berkeley (No. 5) rounded out the poll's top five, followed by the Aztecs.

SDSU will be challenged throughout its 2009 schedule. The Aztecs are slated to take on 13 schools in the preseason top 20 during the regular season, including each of the other nine top teams.

The Aztecs will officially open the 2009 season on Thursday, Feb. 5, when No. 12 Hartwick College makes its way to the Aztec Aquaplex for a 2 p.m. showdown.

Collegiate Water Polo Association
2009 National Preseason Poll
(Points in parentheses)

1. USC (99)
2. Stanford University (94)
3. UCLA (92)
4. University of Hawaii (85)
5. California (73)
6. San Diego State (72)
7. San Jose State (66)
8. Arizona State (62)
9. UC Davis (60)
10. Michigan (57)
11. Loyola Marymount (54)
12. Hartwick College (48)
13. UC Irvine (43)
14. CSU Northridge (36)
15. Long Beach State (30)
16. Princeton (18)
17. UC Santa Barbara (15)
18. CSU Bakersfield (13)
19. UC San Diego (11)
20. Santa Clara (10)

Others Receiving Votes: Brown (5), Indiana (3), Marist (2), Maryland (2).