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Hartzell inducted into SDSU athletic Hall of Fame

After she graduated from Fallbrook High School in 2000, Holly Hartzell played water polo for San Diego State University, where she earned NCAA All-American recognition for all four of her collegiate seasons and set the SDSU record for goals scored. On Oct. 12, Hartzell was inducted into the SDSU athletic Hall of Fame.

"I'm extremely grateful to be honored and humbled by it," Hartzell said. "I think it's a once in a lifetime opportunity and I've been trying to soak up all the love."

"Holly Hartzell is one of the finest players to ever suit up for SDSU and, as the first four-time All-American in Aztec history, her induction into the Hall of Fame puts her in elite company with other Aztec greats," said SDSU water polo coach Carin Crawford, who has coached the Aztecs since 1999 and recruited as well as coached Hartzell. "It was a wonderful day to be with Holly back at SDSU surrounded by her family and teammates as she received her Hall of Fame induction award."

Hartzell was a second-team All-American for her freshman season in 2001, a third-team all-American in 2002 as a sophomore, a second-team All-American as a junior in 2003, and a first-team All-American in 2004 during her senior year. She was also the first San Diego State player to earn all-conference honors in all four of her seasons.

The Aztecs were in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation when Hartzell played and she was on the all-MPSF second team as a freshman, an honorable mention selection as a sophomore, on the second team as a junior, and a first-team all-MPSF player for her senior year.

Hartzell received first-team National Collegiate Select All-Tournament Team recognition as a freshman and was on the MPSF all-tournament team as a junior. San Diego State opened its 2003 season with the UC San Diego Arena Invitational tournament and Hartzell was named as the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

Larisa Baltgalvis scored 235 goals between 1997 and 2000, which was the San Diego State record when Hartzell joined the program. Hartzell scored 90 goals as a freshman, 68 goals during her sophomore year, 63 goals as a junior, and 57 goals in her senior season to set the new school record with 278 goals scored. That is also the current school record. "It's still holding today, which is pretty amazing," Hartzell said.

Hartzell considers setting the school scoring record and being the school's first four-time All-American to be the biggest highlights of her San Diego State career. She considers reaching the 2000 CIF Division I championship game to be her biggest Fallbrook High School highlight even though the Warriors didn't win the final.

Hartzell's achievements during her freshman year also included 49 steals, 29 assists, and MPSF player of the week honors during March 2001. In fall 2001 the Aztecs placed second in the United States Water Polo championship tournament, and Hartzell's eight goals and six assists in six games earned her a berth on the all-tournament first team.

During the 2002 season, she earned an MPSF player of the week award in February and ended the season leading the team not only in goals but also with 20 assists while finishing second among Aztecs players with 53 steals. Hartzell scored goals in 28 of her 32 games during 2003 and added 20 assists and 52 steals. As a senior Hartzell led the team not only in goals but with a .456 shooting percentage, with 55 steals, and with 109 ejections drawn.

In 2004, Hartzell was one of four finalists for the Peter J. Cutino Award, which is named after a former Cal Poly player and Cal coach and is given to the nation's most outstanding collegiate water polo player.

Hartzell also set the school record for ejections drawn, creating 282 exclusions during her college career, and she is currently second on the all-time list for that statistic. Her 209 career steals currently rank eighth in school history.

Hartzell's older sister, Heather, graduated from Fallbrook High School in 1997 and played water polo. Because girls water polo did not become a CIF sport until the 1996-97 season Heather Hartzell played on the Warriors' boys team until her senior year. Holly Hartzell opted to take up the sport her sister was playing. "I thought it would be worth a try to play," she said.

Hartzell was a three-sport athlete at Fallbrook High School and played volleyball in addition to being on the water polo and swim teams. Girls volleyball is a CIF fall sport and girls water polo is a winter sport, so Hartzell had volleyball experience before trying out for the Warriors' water polo team. "I could spike," she said.

That gave her the ability to aim shots in water polo. Her height made Hartzell (who was 5'10" when she graduated) a candidate for a water polo goalkeeper, but with older net minders in the Warriors' program she wasn't always the practice goalkeeper. "I got bored waiting to get into the goal," she said.

While she was waiting she started taking shots, and Fallbrook coach Chad Lemmons saw Hartzell's potential as an attacker. The 1996-97 season was Heather Hartzell's senior year and Holly Hartzell's freshman year. The older sister was the Warriors' hole set and Holly Hartzell was Fallbrook's driver.

"I learned water polo playing my freshman year in high school," Hartzell said.

Hartzell became the Warriors' hole set in her sophomore year. Lemmons was the Warriors' girls coach in 1996-97 and 1997-98. Bill Richardson, who was Fallbrook's junior varsity coach in Hartzell's sophomore year, coached the Fallbrook girls in 1998-99 and 1999-2000.

"It's fantastic," Richardson said of Hartzell's induction into the Aztec Hall of Fame. "She was a dominant, dominant player here at Fallbrook, I would say one of the best polo players to graduate, male or female."

(Richardson has been Fallbrook High School's boys water polo coach since 2011 and has also been the Warriors' boys swim coach since 1996. He coached the Fallbrook girls water polo team through the 2002-03 season.)

Richardson noted that Hartzell positively impacted Fallbrook High School as a person as well as an athlete. "It was great to have her around," he said.

Defenses were forced to figure out how to stop Hartzell. "Having her around was a blessing," Richardson said.

The Warriors won the Avocado League girls water polo championship in both 1998-99 and 1999-2000. Fallbrook reached the CIF Division I championship game in 2000 although Carlsbad's 17-12 victory gave the Lancers the CIF title, and Hartzell was named as the CIF player of the year. Hartzell was the Avocado League player of the year for both 1998-99 and 1999-2000.

Hartzell scored 344 goals during her high school career, which was a CIF record at the time, including 117 during the 1998-99 season and 130 in 1999-2000 to set single-season school records both years. Although Valhalla's Jodie Needles subsequently broke Hartzell's CIF career record, the 344 goals is still a Fallbrook High School record.

Rachel Bender scored 138 goals during the 2002-03 season to break Hartzell's single-season school record, although Hartzell still holds the school record with 11 goals in a game which were scored against Eastlake in February 1999. Hartzell also set a school record with 11 steals in a game when the Warriors played Vista in January 2000; Kristin Fast matched that team record two years later.

Hartzell was a varsity swimmer for all four of her Fallbrook High School years. "I think that it awesome. I'm excited for her," Sean Redmond, who has coached Fallbrook's girls swim since 1990, said of Hartzell's Aztec Hall of Fame induction. "It's exciting to see what she did and especially to be recognized for her accomplishments and what she brought to the sport."

In 2000 she set the school record for the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 24.89 seconds, and she was also part of the 400-yard freestyle relay team which in 1999 set a school record with a time of 3:43.78. "She was really quick," Redmond said.

In the 2000 Avocado League meet Hartzell placed second both in the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard freestyle and she closed out her individual races at the CIF meet with third place in the 50-yard freestyle and fourth place in the 100-yard freestyle.

"She just took off and continued that success," Redmond said of Hartzell's college water polo career.

Hartzell had a 3.57 grade point average at Fallbrook High School. "Holly was pretty smart, too," Redmond said.

Because freshmen are not eligible to be on the MPSF all-academic team Hartzell did not receive such recognition in 2001. A grade point average of 3.27 as a sophomore gave Hartzell her first conference all-academic honor, and grade point averages of 3.26 for her junior year and 3.21 for her senior season earned her berths on the American Water Polo Coaches Association national all-academic team as well as MPSF all-academic distinction those years.

Hartzell now teaches first grade at San Marcos Elementary School.

During the summer SDSU athletic director J.D. Wicker notified Hartzell that she would be inducted into the Aztec Hall of Fame. "I've been thinking about it since then and reflecting on my path to get here," Hartzell said.

The six new Aztec Hall of Fame members were honored at a luncheon the afternoon of Oct. 12. "The luncheon today was amazing," Hartzell said. "All of the other inductees and myself were pretty overcome with emotion."

San Diego State's football team hosted Air Force that evening, and the newest members of the Aztec Hall of Fame were honored at halftime. Hartzell and the other inductees descended to the field during the second quarter. "It was really fun to be on the field and be so close to the action," Hartzell said.

Many of Hartzell's San Diego State teammates were present for the induction ceremony and the football game. Abby Carlson, who played at Poway High School prior to San Diego State and now lives in Albuquerque, made the trip to New Mexico to be with Hartzell. Other former teammates returned to San Diego from Northern California or Central California.

"They're some of my best friends. They're super supportive," Hartzell said.

Her college teammates wore "Holly of Fame" T-shirts, and Holly of Fame also became a hashtag for the occasion.

Although her Fallbrook High School teammates were not at the induction festivities, Hartzell heard from many of them. "A lot of my teammates from Fallbrook reached out and told me how proud they are of me," she said.

"The older I get the more thankful I am for all those people," said Hartzell, who is now 36. "I look back on it and I'm still proud of what my teams and I were able to accomplish and I'm super thankful that I was given a chance to play in college."

Author Bio

Joe Naiman, Writer

Joe Naiman has been writing for the Village News since 2001

 

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