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BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — The Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) is spotlighting the 2020 women’s seniors who had their season cut-short due to the Coronavirus.  Conducted through written word or by video, the league’s intention is to recognize its membership.

Arguably the longest tenured athlete in the women’s collegiate club ranks this year, Giana Fote of the University of California-Irvine is no stranger to fans of the game on either the East or West Coasts.

A graduate student pursuing her MD/PhD at UC-Irvine, Fote . She has almost a decade of playing experience in the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA), she will be missed greatly by her teammates at UC-Irvine per head coach Nick Cecchi who noted the following:

Gianna is a seven-time Women’s Collegiate Club All-Conference selection and four-time All-America pick. She was twice named a New England Division First Team selection (2011, 2012) prior to garnering All-North Atlantic First Team and Most Valuable Player honors in both 2013 and 2014 at Yale University. In addition, she earned All-America honors in 2012 (Honorable Mention), 2013 (Third Team) and 2014 (Third Team). Following her graduation from Yale in 2014, Gianna advanced to UC-Irvine as an MD/PhD student, where she earned 2015 (Second Team), 2017 (First Team), and 2019 (Second Team) All-Southwest Division accolades to accompany her 2017 All-America Honorable Mention recognition. 

Gianna has also served as assistant coach for UC-Irvine’s men’s club team in both the 2018 and 2019 seasons, and she returned to Women’s Collegiate Club play in 2020 for her final season, where her focus was on leading and building up the next generation of CWPA athletes. She led a very young UC-Irvine women’s program to an undefeated pre-season home tournament and a 4-0 record in CWPA Southwest play before cancellation of the remainder of the season. Known best for her lethal counterattacks and ability to turn any defender, her teammates have always benefited from her immense knowledge of and passion for water polo. Her commitment to club water polo at UC-Irvine has brought noteworthy recognition to the program during her playing career and ensured a bright future for the program in the years to come.

Collegiate Water Polo Association