CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Harvard University women’s water polo will add four student-athletes to the team ahead of the 2022-23 season as announced by Ted Minnis, the Friends of Harvard Water Polo Head Coach. The quartet hailing from California will join the Crimson coming off of its most successful season in program history.
“I am so excited to be adding four extremely talented young ladies to a team that has just come off our best season in program history.” said Minnis. “Ruby, Ella, Heidi and Sutchie each will add depth to our team in multiple areas. They have been leaders in and out of the pool, who I know will help us continue to build off of last season’s success.”
Harvard reached the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Championship game for the first time in 2022, and was nationally ranked throughout the entire season, while tabbing eight victories over fellow ranked opponents. The Crimson will also return a trio of All-Conference honorees (Zoe Banks,Grace Thawley, Evan Tingler) along with leading scorer Brooke Hourigan.
Find out more about the Class of 2026 below:
Heidi Heffelfinger | Utility | Lafayette, Calif. | Acalanes High School
Four-year letterwinner in water polo and swimming at Acalanes High School in Diablo Athletic League… Diablo All-League Second Team (2019)… Helped team to 59 consecutive victories from 2018-20… Open Division NCS Champion (2018, 2019)… D1 CIF Champions (2019)… Diablo All-League First Team (2021)… Acalanes HS Most Outstanding Player Award (2021)… Member of 680 Drivers Water Polo Club including 2018 Barcelona travel team and Diablo Alliance Water Polo Australia Travel Team (2018)… 680 Drivers 2021 Junior Olympics Third Place Finisher… NCS President’s List and Scholar Athlete (2018-2021)… USA Water Polo All-Academic (2018-2021)… AP Scholar Award (2020)… California Scholarship Federation (2018-2022)… 16-year member of Girls Scouts of America…Rancho Colorados Lead junior swim team coach (2019-21)…great great great uncle, Pudge (Yale 1892), became first professional American football player… great grandfather, Dink Templeton (Stanford University, 1916) won Olympic gold for USA in rugby at 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Blegium… Father, Warren, played rugby at Yale University… Sister Mary Beth plays collegiate water polo at the University of California-Santa Barbara.
Ruby Hodge | Attacker | San Juan Capistrano, Calif. | Santa Margarita Catholic
Four-year letterwinner in water polo at Santa Margarita Catholic High School… SMCHS Offensive Player of the Year 2022… CIF-SS Student Athlete of the Year (2022)… All-Trinity League Second Team (2021,2022)… All-CIF Third Team (2019, 2022)… All-League First Team (2019)… Olympic Development Women’s Cadet National Team Member…ODP Spa Youth Team Invitee (2021)… Member of SET Water Polo Club… Double and triple rostered with SET 14u, 16u and 18u… Played for OCWPC and Alliance Water Polo… All-Academic (2022)… Junior Olympics First Team All-America (2021)… AP Scholar (2019-2022)… National Honor Society (2020-21)… Abolitionist Club President (2021, 2022)… Brother, Noah, plays on men’s water polo team at Harvard University… Sister, Lucy, plays lacrosse at Tufts University.
Sutchie Ofori-Nyako | Goalie | Palo Alto, Calif. | Castilleja School
Four-year letterwinner in water polo and swimming at Castilleja School… Castilleja Water Polo MVP (2019)… Three-time Santa Clara Valley First Team All-League (2019-2021)… SCVAL Team Sportsmanship Award (2021)… PAL League Champion (2014-19)… SCVAL co-champions (2021)… Six-year Member of Stanford Girls Water Polo Club (2016-2022)… Pacific Zone Regional Junior Olympic Qualification Champion (2021)… USA Water Polo All-Academic (2020, 2021)… Stanford Neuroscience Journal Club (2019-21)… Stanford CNI-X Youth Advisory Board… Black Student Union President and Member (2016-22)… College Board National African American Recognition Program Award (2021-2022).
Ella Schneider | Utility | San Clemente, Calif. | Santa Margarita Catholic
Four-year letterwinner in water polo at Santa Margarita Catholic High School… CIF-SS All League (2022)… All-Trinity League First Team (2022)…. Santa Margarita Team MVP (2022)… Irvine Southern California Championships All-Tournament Team (2022)…Trinity League MVP (2021)… All-Trinity League Second Team (2020)… All CIF-SS Third Team (2019)… Trinity League Champion (2020, 2021)…School record for nine exclusions drawn in game… Member of SET Water Polo Club… SET Water Polo Club 16u Junior Olympic Champion… USA Water Polo team member at Development, Cadet and Youth level… Competed in Senior Nationals with USA Cadet Team (2019)… USA Water Polo All-Academic… NISCA All-Academic… National Art Honor Society (2019-2022)… Father, Frank, 2x National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) water polo champion at Stanford University… Mother, Sarah, played soccer at Stanford… Grandfather, Louis, graduate of Harvard Law School ’73.
Release courtesy Harvard University Athletics Communications
