The Dos Pueblos girls water polo team unveiled a commemorative tile display on the wall at the Elings Aquatic Center that recognizes its second consecutive undefeated season.
A ceremony was held prior to the Chargers’ game against The Bishops School of La Jolla on Wednesday.
Dos Pueblos' girls water polo program won four straight CIF titles from 2008-2011
DP is the only team in the history of water polo to go undefeated for two years in Division I CIF and win four straight titles. The achievement is particularly remarkable considering the majority of critical games were played on the road against powerhouse high schools in the heartland of water polo.
Perhaps the Chargers’ most significant game during “the streak” was coming back from a five-goal, first-half deficit to defeat Newport Harbor in the 2010 title game and preserve their first undefeated season. All of the title games took place in front of huge crowds of Orange County fans that left them wondering how “Dos Pueblos of Goleta” could keep turning back the finest high school water polo teams in the United States.
All of the girls participating on the 2011 championship team started playing club water polo at the 12U level with the Santa Barbara Aquatics Club. Together, with players from Santa Barbara, San Marcos, and Ventura high schools, these girls won U.S. National Junior Olympic titles at the 12U, 14U, 16U, and 18U levels.
Coaches Danelle Little and Chris Parrish led the successful teams at DPHS. Little was named CIF Coach of the Year for three consecutive seasons. Parrish was Coach of the Year in 2011.
The 2011 Championship team included a number of players who are either playing at or committed to NCAA Division I water polo programs. Included are Kodi Hill (DPHS/UCLA), Laurel Kistler (DPHS/UCSD), Tahnia Mark (UCSB), Nicole Morelos (Loyola Marymount University), Kiley Neushul (Stanford), Tiera Schroeder (Cal), and Chandler Vilander (George Washington). Additional 2011 champions include Alayna St. Oegger (Loyola University) and Lauren Shackelford (SBCC) along with senior Michelle Grady, juniors Jamie Neushul and Kara Horwald, and sophomores Shannon Cleary, Ari St. Oegger, and Britten Vilander.
The names of all the 2011 champions are displayed on custom tiles designed by local artist Susan Dunbar and installed by Phil Nigh (The Tile Guy). Phil is a local contractor specializing in ceramic and mosiac tile who donated his time and materials to install these and other tiles on the wall.
The Elings Pool Tile Wall was created by the South Coast Community Aquatics Center (SCCAC) to recognize community contributions toward building the new Olympic-size swimming pool at Dos Pueblos. The pool is named for Virgil Elings and Betty Elings Wells whose $1 million contribution made the project possible.
The DP girls water polo team won their first CIF title when Elings Pool opened in 2008. This magnificent facility is home to some of the most successful teams in the history of high school water polo.
