Olympic water polo star inducted into Hall of Fame

By Manuel Gamiz Jr., On-Line Forty-Niner

Thursday, October 15, 1998

Former Long Beach State men's water polo player Chi (pronounced "shy") Kredell was one of eight athletes inducted into the 49er Hall of Fame in a ceremony held Wednesday.

A four-year starter for The Beach (1989-91, 1993), Kredell ranks sixth on the career scoring lists with 143 points. He was forced to miss the 1992 season because of a broken hand. "Chi came in as a freshman, and went on to become one of the greatest water polo players at Long Beach State," said Ken Lindgren, men's water polo head coach.

As a sophomore, Kredell scored 42 goals, which currently ranks 24th on the LBSU record books. In that season, Kredell was voted All-Conference honorable mention. In 1991, he was voted second team All-Conference and All-American honorable mention.

The former driver and defensive specialist set many records in his four years at The Beach, but his career went to another level of excellence during his senior year.

In 1993, Kredell was voted first team All-Conference and third team All-American after scoring a career-high 70 points. His 70 points rank fourth in the men's water polo records.

Kredell's 55 goals that year rank ninth in The Beach's record books for most goals in a season. Included in his 55 goals were 15 two-point goals, which rank No. 1 in both the season and career lists for most two-point goals in a season.

Lindgren said Kredell's record for two-point goals can be attributed to his good accurate outside shot and a deceptive fake shot.

"Goalies could never get a good idea of when he was going to release the shot," Lindgren said.

Kredell's dream season in 1993 was highlighted by a record- setting performance on Oct. 26 when he scored eight points in a game against Pepperdine.

His record stood for three years, until senior 2-meter man Jeff Coyler tied his mark on Nov. 2, 1996 against UC Santa Barbara.

The 1993 season also saw Kredell score six points in a game three times.

Kredell's achievements go far beyond the LBSU campus. He was a starter on the 1994 and 1998 Goodwill Games team and a starter on the 1995 Championship Pan Am Games team. Kredell was the last player cut from the 1996 United State Olympic team.

He is currently a member of the U.S. National team, and he should be a key member of the 2000 Olympic team, according to Lindgren.

"I think he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame," Lindgren said. "He may be one of the best defensive players in the world."

Kredell, who plays on a Greek professional team, was unable to attend the ceremony, so his teammate, Brian Costanza, attended on his behalf.