The Challenge:

Since its inception, Stanford Club Water Polo has existed as a co-ed team, one of the few in the country. While practicing alongside men fostered camaraderie and mutual respect on campus, competitions were another story. At tournaments, female athletes found themselves pitted against all-male teams from other schools, facing not just physical mismatches, but discomfort, danger, and a sense that the system wasn’t built for them.

The problem wasn’t a lack of skill. It was a lack of space. Women at Stanford didn’t have a safe, competitive, and dedicated environment to play the sport they loved. Many quietly quit. Others stayed on the co-ed but opted out of tournaments. Something had to change.

The People:

The catalyst came from listening. I spoke to current players and former teammates who had left the sport, many of whom had once loved water polo but no longer felt it had room for them. What I heard again and again was this: we’re not asking to leave the team. We just want a way to compete that isn't against unknown men.

I partnered with Natalie Hilderbrand, the former team president, to chart a path forward. Together, we set out to create Stanford’s first-ever Women’s Club Water Polo Team, a space built purely for female athletes, where competition would feel empowering instead of threatening.

The Process:

Over the next 12 weeks, we went to work. We filed endless paperwork, made cold calls to the Collegiate Water Polo Association, and met with Stanford’s Club Sports Directors to secure funding and recognition. We didn’t have a playbook, just a shared commitment to making this team a reality.

Our interviews revealed a critical nuance: women wanted to continue practicing with the co-ed team, but traveling to face male opponents was where the discomfort lay. The solution, then, wasn’t separation, it was choice. So we designed the new team as a travel squad, a dedicated competitive unit that would play in the women’s league, while still practicing within the co-ed ecosystem.

After back-and-forth with the league and the university, we were officially approved. The Stanford Women’s Club Water Polo Team was born.

The Solution:

Launching the team was only the beginning. With a tiny roster, no institutional memory, and barely enough funding to cover travel, every decision mattered. We relied on player commitment to survive, we couldn’t afford to forfeit, or we’d risk being disqualified from the league. Every athlete showed up. Every weekend. No exceptions.

Natalie and I coordinated tournaments, managed budgets, and handled travel logistics. But our biggest challenge came poolside. As the season kicked off, the players wanted something more: they wanted a coach. Someone who could help them train with purpose, grow as a team, and build a true competitive identity.

So I stepped up. With no formal coaching experience, I became the team’s first head coach. It was a new role, but a natural one. We trained hard, focused on fundamentals, and built a team culture grounded in support, grit, and growth. By the end of the year, we weren’t just surviving, we were competing. We came within one point of beating one of the best teams in the country, falling 14-13 in a game that proved just how far we’d come.

Impact:

The Stanford Women’s Club Water Polo Team isn’t just a sports team, it’s a statement. That women athletes deserve safe, serious opportunities to compete. And that culture change doesn’t always come from the top down, it can start with a question, a clipboard, and a team that refuses to forfeit.