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Sarah Valencia excels both in the pool and the classroom
Because of an injured shoulder, Sarah Valencia wasn't supposed to play in last Wednesday's girls' water polo game against Culver City. But the Redondo senior co-captain had other ideas.
So, despite a commanding 6-0 halftime lead, there was Valencia in the first few minutes of the second half, swimming up and down the pool and playing her usual strong defense.
"I was so frustrated just watching the game," Valencia said. "I've never not started. I think my coaches felt sorry for me, because I was saying, 'I want to play, I want to play.'"
"She was hounding us," co-head coach Sean Nollan explained. "We wouldn't let her set and we wouldn't let her shoot, but she wanted to be part of the action."
That, in a nutshell, is Valencia, a hard-working, intense player whose dedication to the sport makes her a model for her and teammates.
"She's very, very focused," said Nollan. "The best example is we were losing 4-2 to Mira Costa [Jan. 19]. The other girls were having a semi-panic attack because we weren't supposed to be losing. She got real quiet and told the team that this was for CIF and everything that we've wanted and really started leading a comeback for us."
Redondo eventually won the game 6-5 on a goal by Lara Williams with 28 seconds remaining, but not before Valencia felt her shoulder pop out of joint during the game's final moments.
"The game was coming down to the wire," Nollan explained. "We had a rebound on a block from [goalie] Malia Wagner and Sarah slid in front of the Costa player to box out and protect Malia for a little bit and got her left arm cranked on."
Valencia, a three-year starter for the Sea Hawks, was expected to be ready for yesterday's showdown with defending league champion Santa Monica. A win over the Vikings and over the Peninsula Panthers Feb. 9 would give the Sea Hawks (16-5 overall) their first league championship in only their third season playing water polo.
Even if the Hawks can't get by the two league powerhouses, last Wednesday's 11-0 win over Culver City clinched a playoff spot for Redondo for the first time in the school's history.
"Our league is one of the most competitive leagues out there," Valencia said. "Just getting to CIF is an accomplishment."
Valencia may be the team's second leading scorer and top defender, but her journey to water polo stardom was unusual to say the least.
"It was an accident," explained Valencia of how she got started. "My friend was playing water polo. I had intended to play volleyball. She asked me to try out with her. I made the team and I really liked it. I stuck with it; it was fun."
Now she's one of the Bay League's best and a good bet to play in college next year.
"My size helps me out a lot," said the 5-foot-9 Valencia. "I have long arms and strong legs."
"A lot of girls have okay leg strength and can get up reasonably high," Nollan said. "But she's able to get up like the guys. That really gives her some marketability as a college player. Plus, she's got a strong shot and is the third-fastest swimmer on the team."
Valencia also is a student of the game, watching and learning from other players.
Actually, she isn't just a student of the game. She's a student--period.
Ranked seventh in her class with a 3.96 unweighted grade point average, and sporting a 1440 SAT, Valencia has her sights set on Harvard, Stanford or Cal.
"She's very competitive in the classroom," said English teacher Tim Ammentorp, who had Valencia as a sophomore for honors English. "She wants to do well and she works hard. What I liked about her as a student was that she was willing to really question things until she understood them."
"In the classroom, if it's something I'm interested in or I think is important, then I get pretty intense," Valencia acknowledged. "I get fired up about things."
Her favorite subjects are biology and history.
"I thought I wanted to be a marine biologist, but now I'm thinking maybe I can do something with law or writing," she explained.
Will she play water polo in college?
"It's something I'd love to continue beyond high school," Valencia said. "It depends on where I go to school, though. Going to Stanford, UCLA or Cal might mean playing for a club. But at Harvard, I think I could play varsity and contribute."
Valencia finds out March 15 where she'll be headed to college. But for the time being, her focus is on helping the Sea Hawks win a league title and advance deep into the CIF playoffs. ER