Fresno State Women’s Water Polo will make their debut with a splash

FRESNO

The pool is calm for now, but this August, Fresno State women’s water polo will be making waves. Led by head coach and former Olympian Natalie Benson, the Women’s Polo team will be a force to reckoned with. Benson said she is anxiously awaiting the start of the season.

“It’s hard to wait,” Benson said. “But it’s nice to see all the pieces coming together, and the girls are, you know, kind of imagining what the roster’s gonna look like, and watching them communicate amongst each other and start to become friends and start to build relationships, and I know that’s going to be really helpful once we hit the ground in the fall.”

Caitlin Haskell, Benson’s assistant coach, is just as passionate about building this team as Benson is. Haskell said she played polo through college and is excited to finally have the opportunity to represent her hometown of Fresno.

“My passion with this program stems from that void that I had going through high school and not having the opportunity to go and play here and represent my home. So for me, developing this program with Natalie has been extremely special for me,” Haskell said.

As excited as the coaching staff may be, the players are feeling inspired to be great in the eyes of their coach. One Fresno State swimmer and future polo player, Hunter Winslow, said she loved the passion for polo Benson gives off.

“Within five minutes I was like, this girl is someone I would want to play for,” Winslow said. “And I’ve only had like, men’s coaches so it’s really rare to find a woman’s coach that just has that, like, grit and understanding of the sport.”

Under the coaching and guidance of a two time Olympian, the Fresno State Women’s Water Polo team is sure to make a splash.