Carin Crawford Position: Head Coach Experience: 11th Season Alma Mater: UC San Diego ('89)

Entering her 11th season at the helm of the San Diego State water polo program, Carin Crawford looks to continue on her mission to establish the Aztecs as a top contender in women's collegiate water polo, after finishing fourth at the national championships last season.

In each of her 10 years at San Diego State, Crawford has guided the Aztecs to a top-11 national finish. During her tenure, the Aztecs have accumulated 17 All-America awards and all-MPSF honors 18 times. In addition, her players have earned 36 all-MPSF academic selections and 34 AWPCA all-academic awards.

In 2008, Crawford once again led the Scarlet and Black to a second consecutive NCAA water polo championship tournament. The Aztecs finished in fifth place to post its second straight top-5 effort. For the second year in a row, Crawford's team finished their campaign with a record-setting 31 victories. In addition, Crawford earned her 200th career victory with a win over Maryland at the UCSD Triton Invitational. She now has 229 career victories under her belt.

Crawford led SDSU into the national spotlight in 2007, as the team earned its first-ever at-large bid to the NCAA water polo championships. The Aztecs ended up placing fourth at the tournament and finished the campaign with a then program-record school-record 29 victories.

Prior to water polo becoming an NCAA championship sport in 2001, the Aztecs, under Crawford, advanced to the National Collegiate Water Polo Championship in her first two seasons in 1999 and 2000 and finished fifth and sixth, respectively. In 2001, Crawford's Aztec team took second place at the postseason National Collegiate Select Tournament.

Crawford's coaching and playing experience has provided the foundation upon which she has built the Aztec women's water polo program. Prior to her arrival on Montezuma Mesa, Crawford served as head coach of the San Diego Mesa College women's water polo team from 1996-98 and guided the Olympians to a berth in the 1996 SoCal Championships, while coaching two players to All-America honors during her two seasons.

As coach of the Sunset San Diego Girls water polo club, Crawford assisted in building one of the premier club programs in the nation. The Sunset Girls were perennial medalists in every age group at the National Junior Olympics Water Polo Tournament from 1996-98. As a player for the Sunset Senior Women's team, Crawford was a four-time All-American, helping her team win nine Senior National Championship titles.

While a member of the United States National Team from 1989 to 1992, Crawford participated in four U.S. Olympic Festivals, earning two gold medals, a silver and a bronze. Through her participation on the national team, she traveled to Hungary, Holland, Australia and New Zealand, accumulating international playing experience.

During her collegiate career, Crawford was a co-captain for the UC San Diego Tritons and received All-America honors in 1988 and '89. She graduated cum laude in 1989 and returned to earn her master's degree in U.S. history in 1992 while competing on the U.S. National Team.

As a former athlete representative to USA Water Polo, Crawford has worked at the grassroots level to raise the status of women's water polo to an Olympic and NCAA championship sport. Her contribution to the sport paid off when women's water polo was included in the 2000 Olympics and was recognized as an NCAA championship sport in 2001.

A native of Albuquerque, N.M., Crawford attended Valley High School. She enjoys surfing, gardening and spending time with her husband, Jack, and two sons, Jackson and Shane. The family resides in San Diego.