SBHS senior also highlighted in SI
Connor Ramey • Sports Editor
During her four year career on the San Benito High water polo team, Caitlin Schafer was rarely underestimated by her opponents. Facing double – and even triple – teams, Schafer was the Balers focal point every time they touched the ball.
During her four years in the pool, Schafer scored 485 goals and became one of the best players in the entire Central Coast Section.
After she helped the Balers advance past the first round of the CCS postseason for the first time this fall, Schafer signed a letter of intent to play with Loyola Marymount University next year. The Division I school is the seventh ranked program in the country. The Lions took fifth place in the NCAA championship tournament earlier this year.
“It’s such an honor,” Schafer said. “All the hard work I’ve done paid off. It feels awesome to be able to go to LMU.”
Schafer will head to LMU after breaking the Monterey Bay League’s goal-scoring record with 213 goals in only 29 games. Because of her dominant year in the pool, the Balers’ utility driver was also named to the CCS all-league team for the first time. She was the first SBHS water polo player to earn such an honor.
Heading to the Lions next fall, Schafer hopes to help LMU climb the national ladder when she gets the opportunity.
“It’s very humbling to be able to keep on playing water polo in college,” she said. “LMU is a good fit for me. It just clicked.”
Her accomplishments, though, didn’t end with the college scholarship. After the season she was spotlighted in Sports Illustrated Faces in the Crowd section.
“When we were told that would happen it was amazing. I was so excited that my name would appear in Sports Illustrated,” she said. “It was such an honor to see that.”
It was a tremendous fall for Schafer, she said.
“All of it is great,” she said. “Advancing past the first round was an amazing team accomplishment. Scoring 200 goals got me into SI. And signing to a college was just icing on the cake.”
But Schafer’s accomplishments also highlight the growing SBHS water polo program, athletic director Tod Thatcher said.
“It just shows the growth of water polo not only here but in the club level,” he said. “She was able to play before she got to high school and build her tremendous skill set. It’s great to see that.”
Schafer, along with teammate Rachel Estep, also played in the MBL All Star Water Polo Shootout on Saturday. Schafer helped lead the Blue team to a 19-14 win.
