Bruins Sign 10 Standouts for 2020
August 23, 2019 | Women's Water Polo
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LOS ANGELES -- UCLA head women's water polo coach Adam Wright has announced the signing of 10 student-athletes to attend UCLA in the fall of 2019 and compete in 2020. All 10 student-athletes are from California andย includes center Layne Anzaldo (Corona del Mar, Calif./Corona del Mar HS), center/defender Brooke Banta (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor HS), attacker Brooke Dotenย (Davis, Calif./Davis Senior HS), center/utility Brooke Gruneisenย (Long Beach, Calif./Long Beach Wilson HS), center Abbi Hill (Santa Barbara, Calif./Dos Pueblos HS), attacker Fiona Kuesis (Santa Barbara, Calif./San Marcos HS), utility Kate McCarthy (San Anselmo, Calif./Sir Francis Drake HS), attacker Hannah Palmer (Irvine, Calif./Orange Lutheran HS), center Rachel Spadt (Fullerton, Calif./Brea Olinda HS,ย and goalkeeper Quinn Winterย (Laguna Beach, Calif./Laguna Beachย HS).
Layne Anzaldoย - 5-10, Center, Corona del Mar High School, Corona del Mar, Calif.
Anzaldoย was a four-year letterwinner at Corona Del Mar High School โฆ four-year USA Water Polo Academic All-American โฆ played on three Pacific Coast League championship teams (2015-18) โฆ named to the Pacific Coast League first-team in 2017 and 2018 โฆ third-team All-CIF in 2018 โฆ California-Hawaii Kai~Cal-Hi All-America honorable mention 2017 and 2018 โฆย participated with the USA Olympic ODP from 2014-18.
"Layne is a strong center with great hands and a really good feel for the position," Wright said. "She comes from a long line of great players from CDM and all that big game experience is going to allow her to impact this program right away. Through this process, she was all in on UCLA from day one. Not just the water polo but the university as a whole and that really is so important in this process. The more we have gotten to know her and her family the more we know how much she will impact our program both in and out of the water."
Brooke Banta - 5-10, Center/Defender, Newport Harbor High School, Newport Beach, Calif.
Bantaย was a three-year water polo letterwinner at Mater Dei High School, and lettered at Newport Harbor as a senior โฆ three-time Defensive Player of the Year for Mater Dei โฆ named first teamย All-CIF-SS Division Iย in 2019 โฆ earned Team MVP (Coach's Award) as a senior at NHHS โฆ also named to first team All-Surf Leagueย โฆ CIF Division I regional champions in 2018 โฆ second-team All-Trinity League as a sophomore and junior โฆ 2018 Junior Olympic All-American with Vanguard โฆ earned first team Junior Olympic All-American honors in 2019 โฆ was a member on the U.S. Youth and Cadet National Teams and recently trained with the Junior National Team to prepare them for the upcoming Junior World Championshipsย โฆ also earned two swimming letters at Mater Dei.
"Brooke has played for some of the best coaches in the country and you can tell when she plays," Wright said.ย "She is tireless and does all the little things that are so important to the success of the team. Brooke will always have an impact on the game just by how much pride she takes on defense.ย Her teammates all say the same thing about how much they enjoy playing with her and that's just as important as anything she does in the water."
Brooke Doten - 5-10, Attacker, Davis Senior High School, Davis, Calif.
Dotenย was a four-year letterwinner in water polo at Davis Senior High School โฆ set a Davis Senior High School record for most goals in a single season with 120 goals scored as a junior โฆ broke that record her senior season, scoring 156ย goals โฆ team won CIF and League Championships her last three seasons โฆ named CIF MVP as a junior and senior โฆ first-team All-CIF and first team NISCA All-American honors as a junior and senior โฆย also named Delta League MVP and first-team all-league; and team MVP both yearsย โฆ as a sophomore, was named first-team All-Delta League and first-team All-Sectionย โฆ participated in the National Team Selection Camp in 2017 and 2018ย โฆ also participated for three years with the swimming team, earning two varsity letters.
"The first thing you notice about Brooke is how much energy she plays with," Wright said. "She plays every position in the pool and never comes out of the game. She will play two to two and handles the physicality at each end without slowing down. She plays tough and I know she will bring that every day. Brooke is going to push this team to compete from the moment she steps on campus."
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Brooke Gruneisen - 5-10, Center/Utility, Long Beach Wilson High School, Long Beach, Calif.
Gruneisen was a four-year letterwinner at Long Beach Wilson High School โฆ was a four-year MVP for her high school team โฆ named All-CIF Player of the Year as a junior โฆ also earned All-CIF first-team honors in 2017 and second-team honors in 2016 and 2019 โฆ Long Beach Press-Telegram Girl's Water Polo Dream Team Player of the Year in 2018 and 2019 โฆ also named first-team in 2016 and 2017 โฆ three-year Player of the Year for the Long Beach Century Club Awards.
"Brooke was asked to do a lot for her high school team and all of that experience and versatility is going to serveย her well here at UCLA," Wright said. "She's got great length which is always tough to play against. One of the things that we're most excited about is that she is really just starting to scratch the surface of what she is capable of doing. Brooke is an incredibly driven person and will put the work in to grow and develop here."
Abbi Hill - 6-0, Center, Dos Pueblos High School, Santa Barbara, Calif.
Abbi Hill was a four-year water polo letterwinner at Dos Pueblos High School โฆ named All-CIF first-team, league MVP and team MVP as a senior โฆ junior year, was named All-CIF firs-team, all-league first team, and was named a member of the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Athlete of the Week โฆ as a sophomore, earned All-CIF first-team honors โฆ also named all-league first team, and was selected as the best defensive player for her team โฆ named team MVP as a freshman, all-CIF first team, all-league first team, and was selected for the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Athlete of the Week โฆ has been a member of the U.S. Junior National Team since 2017 โฆ earned second team Junior Olympic All-American honors in 2019 โฆ has participated with USA Water Polo at the Intercontinental Cup 2017-19 โฆ also participated at the Junior World Championships in 2017 โฆ earned two letters as a member of the swimming team.
"Abbi is one of the top young players in the country and has the potential to impact this program in so many different ways," Wright said. "One of the exciting things for her is that we will absolutely play her at multiple positions and she can play any position at an elite level. As is the case with each of the young women in this class, Abbi comes from an incredible family and that is something we value really highly. She connected so well with the group we already have here and really that's equally as important to us as anything she will contribute in the water."
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Fiona Kuesisย - 5-8, Attacker, San Marcos High School, Santa Barbara, Calif.
Kuesis was a four-year letterwinner for the San Marcos Senior High water polo team โฆ named second-team All-CIF Division I in 2018 and 2017 โฆ Channel League Champions in 2017 and 2016 โฆ member of the 2018 US Club Championship team with the Santa Barbara 805 Water Polo Club โฆ club was also a 2018 Junior Olympic semi-finalist โฆ has participated with the U.S. Youth National team โฆ also earned four swimming letters โฆ named a swimming All-American in 2018 and 2016.
"Fiona is an explosive creative attacker," Wright said. "She is quick and plays with a lot of intensity. All of those skills are going to impact the team right away. Fiona's ability to play with that kind of energy in all phases of the game is going to raise the level of play across the board. Getting to know her through this process, we were impressed by her maturity and how she went about getting to know the program and the University. It led to really genuine connections, and that's so important. Through it all, UCLA was the place that she wanted to be and we're excited to have her here."
Kate McCarthy - 5-10, Utility, Sir Francis Drake High School, San Anselmo, Calif.
McCarthy was a four-year starter and letterwinner at Sir Francis Drake High School โฆ Drake MVP in 2017 โฆ MCAL Player of the Year in 2017 โฆ three-time MCAL first-team honoree (2016-18) โฆ team captain in 2018 โฆ NCS Division 2 Champions in 2017 โฆ three-time MCAL champions (2016-18) โฆ played club ball for Diablo Alliance, placing seventh at Junior Olympics in 2018 and second in 2017 โฆ also placed second at the U.S. Club Championship and third at the Cal Cup inย 2017 โฆ also earned four swimming letters.
"Kate is a creative attacker that plays with a lot of energy," Wright said. "Through this process we were impressed by how much she really wanted to be in a place that would challenge her to learn and grow as both a player and a person. She is tall and long and plays hard and we think she will grow and develop into a tough matchup on both offense and defense. She's driven and that is something we are always looking for."
Hannah Palmer - 5-6, Attacker, Orange Lutheran High School, Irvine, Calif.
Palmer lettered in water polo and swimming at Orange Lutheran High School โฆ started four years for the water polo team โฆ All CIF-SS Division I first-team, All-Trinity League, and All-Orange County Register second-team as a junior โฆ All-CIF-SS Division I third-team as a sophomore and freshman โฆ All-Trinity League second team as a freshman and sophomore โฆ All-Orange County Register third team as a freshman and sophomore โฆ Team MVP as a junior, leading the team in steals and second in scoring and assists โฆ with the Northwood Water Polo Club, was named an All-American 2013-15, and 2017 โฆ won bronze in the 16U division at the 2017 Junior Olympics, earning All-America honors โฆ earned honorable mention JO All-American honors in 2019 โฆ member of the 2015 USAย Developmental National Team.
"In all the times we've seen Hannah play this year, the one thing that stands out is her understanding of the game," Wright said. "She is a smart facilitator but also knows when she needs to step up for her team. She played as an attacker, and sometimes atย center, and always matched up with the best players on the other team. She is tough and composed and you can tell her teammates play as hard for her as she does for them. She's going to make an impact right away with this team and I know she is ready for that challenge."
Rachel Spadt - 5-10, Center, Brea Olinda High School, Fullerton, Calif.
Spadt earned four letters in water polo at Brea Olinda High School โฆ first-team All-League as a freshman, sophomore, and junior โฆ Team MVP as a sophomore โฆ second-team All-CIF as a junior โฆ team captain as a junior โฆ holds Brea Olinda records for most goals scored in a single game (12) and most goals scored in a single season (161), both recorded in 2018 โฆ member of the 2018 USA Water Polo all-star team with her club team, SET โฆ also earned four letters in swimming.
"Rachel is a center who has put in a lot of work over the last several years to get to where she is now," Wright said. "The exciting thing for her and for this team is that she is still getting better and that's something we're going to need from her right away. We graduated two centers and having depth at that position is always helpful. She comes with a great attitude and work ethic and we're excited to see what she is going to accomplish here at UCLA."
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Quinn Winter - 5-10, Goalkeeper, Laguna Beachย High School, Laguna Beach, Calif.
Winter earned three letters in water polo at Laguna Beachย High School โฆ served as the team captain in 2018 and 2019ย โฆ registered 257 saves, 51 steals and 16 assists her senior year (2019)ย โฆ played for theย club team, SET, which placed thirdย at theย Junior Olympics in 2019 and first in 2018ย โฆ was named the 16Uย MVP at Junior Olympics in 2018ย โฆ team also placed first in 2018 at the Junior Olympic Qualifiers and the U.S. Club Champsย โฆ place fifth at 16U Junior Olympics in 2017ย โฆ was a first team Junior Olympicย All-American in 2018 and a second team selection in ย 2016.
"Quinn was someone who came to us early on and just knew she wanted to be a Bruin," Wright said. "We had a chance to see her play and she impressed us immediately. She went on to have a great high schoolย careerย and was so good in Laguna Beach's CIF Finals win. Quinn is already a great fit with our team. She is equally praised for her abilities as a goal keeper as she is for the kind of teammate she is and that is so important to us in the way we want to continue to build this program."
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| 2020 Freshman Class | ||||
| Player | Pos. | Hometown (High School) | Club Team | |
| Layne Anzaldo | CTR | Corona del Mar, Calif. (Corona del Mar HS) | Corona del Mar | |
| Brooke Banta | CTR/DEF | Newport Beach, Calif. (Mater Dei HS) | SoCal | |
| Brooke Doten | ATK | Davis, Calif. (Davis Senior HS) | Davis Club | |
| Brooke Gruneisen | CTR/UTL | Long Beach, Calif. (Long Beach Wilson HS) | Palos Verdes Water Polo Club | |
| Abbi Hill | CTR | Santa Barbara, Calif. (Dos Pueblos HS) | Santa Barbara 805 Water Polo Club | |
| Fiona Kuesis | ATK | Santa Barbara, Calif. (San Marcos HS) | Santa Barbara 805 Water Polo Club | |
| Kate McCarthy | UTL | San Anselmo, Calif. (Sir Francis Drake HS) | Diablo Alliance | |
| Hannah Palmer | ATK | Irvine, Calif. (Orange Lutheranย HS) | Northwood Water Polo Club | |
| Rachel Spadt | CTR | Fullerton, Calif. (Brea Olinda HS) | SET | |
| Quinn Winter | GK | Laguna Beach, Calif. (Laguna Beach HS) | SET | |