Feb. 4, 2004

SAN DIEGO -

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* The San Diego State women's water polo team, ranked No. 5 in the latest American Water Polo Coaches Association poll, gets 2004 underway at the UCSD Arena Invitational held Feb. 7-8 at the Tritons' Canyonview Pool.
* The Aztecs roll out of bed and into 2004 by meeting No. 20 Cal Baptist at 8 a.m. in the tournament's first game. In its second game Saturday, SDSU will face either No. 11 UC Santa Barbara or No. 12 UC Davis. Sunday's match-ups will be determined by seeding following Saturday's results of group pool play.

Scouting The UCSD Invitational Field
* The UCSD Arena Invitational is the perfect test to a team's preseason preparations. The 12-team tournament features 11 of the nation's top 20 teams from this week's AWPCA poll and an NCAA Championship tournament team from a year ago in Loyola Marymount. At No. 5, SDSU is one of four top-10 teams including No. 4 Long Beach State, No. 5 LMU and No. 9 Hawaii.
* The Aztecs will compete in Group C of first-day pool play along with first-game opponent No. 20 Cal Baptist, No. 11 UC Santa Barbara and No. 12 UC Davis. SDSU holds a 39-13 all-time record against its bracket mates and won all three meetings with those teams in 2003. Two of the victories were over UC Santa Barbara and the third win came against Cal Baptist.
* Looking ahead to day two, the Aztecs were 10-3 in 2003 against the other tourney teams. All three losses were at the hands of Long Beach State and Loyola Marymount, as the Aztecs posted a 2-3 mark against the opposing two top seeds. However, the Aztecs did post a 2-1 record in the final three meeting with the only loss coming 12-11 in overtime to Long Beach State.

Previewing The Aztecs
* San Diego State has become one of the premier women's water polo teams in the country, finishing in the top eight nationally in all nine years they have sponsored the sport. The 2003 season was no exception as the Aztecs finished with a 21-12 record, their best winning percentage in seven years, and ranked sixth in the final American Water Polo Coaches Association poll. Head Coach Carin Crawford enters her sixth season at the helm and is confident the tradition will remain alive and well as they enter into the 2004 season.
* The Aztecs have garnered a No. 5 national ranking thanks to their combination of talented veteran leadership and a solid group of underclassmen. Senior leadership comes from the trio of two-meter Holly Hartzell (co-captain), driver Sandy Onweller (co-captain) and goalie Ashley Zabel. Hartzell has led the Aztecs in scoring in each of the past three seasons, while Onweller is the second leading returning scorer to the 2004 squad. Zabel returns to the cage where she has three seasons and 62 games of experience under her belt.
* Another duo of seniors, utility Chelsy Smith, and 2-meter defender Kristin Moore will play significant roles this season. A talented group of sophomores, utility Taylor Cranney, driver Rachel Serna, and 2-meter defender Savanah Kelley, will compete for the final starting positions after gaining valuable experience during their freshmen seasons.
* Also new to the team are four prized recruits: utility Elana Cervantes (Davis, Calif.), utility Stacy Werner (Fresno, Calif.), driver Ashley Reta, and goalie Sarah Kilgore (Coronado, Calif.).

The Hartzell Watch
* Three-time All-American and All-MPSF selection Holly Hartzell (Vista, Calif.) has made her presence known in the Aztec record books ever since joining the Aztec roster three seasons ago in 2001. The senior 2-meter stands third on both the Aztecs' career goals and assists charts with 221 and 69, respectively. Hartzell is also fifth on the career steals list with 154.

SDSU Career Goals Scored

1. Larisa Baltgalvis  235
2. Amber Prestegard   230
3. Holly Hartzell     221
4. Shae Philpott      205

Assists
1. Amber Prestegard  116
2. Casey Finnegan     71
3. Holly Hartzell     69
4. Larisa Baltgalvis  58

Zabel: Willing And Able
* Senior Ashley Zabel begins her four year as an Aztec goalkeeper and her second as a starter in the cage. Zabel, who split time with Heather Stiles as a freshman and sophomore, has accumulated 389 saves in 62 career games, including a shutout. Zabel ranks third on SDSU's all-time career saves list and needs only 43 saves to move past Stiles into second place.

Head Coach Carin Crawford
* In her sixth season leading the Aztec program, Crawford has guided the Aztecs to five straight top-eight national finishes and at least 18 wins every year while compiling an overall record of 105-78. During her tenure, the Aztecs have accumulated 11 all-America awards and all-MPSF honors 14 times. In addition, her players have earned 18 all-MPSF academic selections and 19 AWPCA all-academic awards.