Garcia
drives 49ers water polo success
By Gina Ponce
On-line Forty-Niner
 Angelica
Garcia came to Cal State Long Beach as a
freshman from Puerto Rico because she had
always wanted to come to California and
play water polo.
Garcia, a junior utility driver, started
swimming and then decided that water polo
looked fun. A coach from Puerto Rico started
teaching Garcia the basics of water polo
six and a half years ago. Garcia said it
was really nice to be coached by someone
you could talk to and was a friend outside
of the game.
“Angelica is always serious in practice.
She doesn’t fool around,” teammate Kaitlin
Hamlin said, another junior water polo player
at LBSU. “Water polo is what she’s there
for.”
 Garcia
said that she loves her team at CSULB.
“We have a good connection. Everybody has
their own character inside and outside of
the water,” she said.
“She’s an outstanding player,” Head Coach
Ricardo Azevedo said. “Since she came here
she’s become a complete player.”
The love of the game is the strength that
keeps me going to practice every day, Garcia
said. “People say it’s really hard, and
it is, but you enjoy it,” she said.
Garcia was named Third Team All-American
her freshman year, is third overall at Long
Beach State in goals accumulated, and has
been named Mountain Pacific Sports Federation
player of the week two times. This semester
she has 20 goals, including an impressive
stretch of 11 goals over five games from
February to March.
“Angelica is a leader. Her strength always
brings a positive attitude to practice,”
Hamlin said. “She is one of the most amazing
shooters I’ve seen in my life.”
“Her main strength is explosiveness and
intensity,” Azevedo said about Garcia.
Garcia is biology major and hopes to go
to medical school to become a pediatrician.
She would prefer to stay on the West Coast
for medical school and keep playing water
polo.
Garcia said she has an ability to communicate
with her teammates and she always tries
to help them with their skills or whatever
they need.
“I try to be someone they can always come
and talk to,” Garcia said.
Azevedo said that any weaknesses Garcia
had coming to CSULB she has worked out.
Garcia said that long passes are her weakness
percentage wise.
“The team is great this year and we have
a very good chance at winning the NCAA championships,”
Garcia said.
Garcia and the Long Beach State water polo
team are currently ranked fourth in the
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and the
nation. Long Beach State is off to its best
start in school history and the team has
been impressive in solid performances against
top rated teams. The 49ers record stands
at 11-4 overall and 3-1 in the MPSF.
Three of the 49ers’ four loses this season
have been against the top two teams in the
nation. No.1 Stanford edged out The Beach
4-2 last weekend in a tightly contested
match-up, while University Southern California
has defeated the 49ers in the teams’ two
meetings this season.
Friday, the 49ers play third ranked University
California Los Angeles Friday. The 49ers
have not beaten the Bruins in eight tries.
UCLA comes into the match with a record
of 10-3 overall and 3-2 in the MPSF.
Last weekend the 49ers finished fourth at
the UC Santa Barbara Invitational. The fourth
place finish at the tournament was the highest
finish the 49ers have claimed at the event.
Weeks earlier Garcia and the 49ers came
home with the women’s water polo team’s
first ever tournament win in San Diego.
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