The Santa Barbara Water Polo Club has been honored with a pair of awards from USA Water Polo.
The club received two Chairman’s Cup Awards for their success in women’s water polo and overall success.
As established in 2010, the USAWP annual awards have each been named in honor of a person or persons who have made an extraordinary contribution to the sport. Winners were chosen through a zone nomination process and then reviewed by a national selection panel.
Here are capsules from USA Water Polo on the awards:
Women’s Chairman’s Cup: It was a banner year for the Santa Barbara Water Polo Club women’s division that saw six different teams reach the medal round of various national championships. One of three teams entered in the U.S. Open of Water Polo took home fourth place to kick off the Summer. That set the stage for a dominant showing at the 2014 Junior Olympics where the 12U squad earned gold, flanked by silver medal performances from the 14U and 16U squad along with a bronze medal result from the 10U team. The team continued their excellent run into the fall where the 14U squad grabbed a fourth-place finish at the TYR Champions Cup, capping a year to remember.
Chairman’s Cup: With a combined 15 teams entered at the 2014 Junior Olympics, Santa Barbara saw nine top 20 finishes and a gold medal from the 14U girls. Add to that silver medals from the 14U and 16U girls along with a bronze from the 12U girls and the club was well represented on the podium. Winners of the Women’s Chairman’s Cup, Santa Barbara also reached the medal round in TYR Champions Cup girl’s division. Both the men and the women notched top seven finishes at the U.S. Open of Water Polo, showing the true depth of the club through all ages.
