Indiana University Athletics
Throwback Thursday - Kristin Stanford
10/2/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Over the next couple months, we will take a look back at some of the players and teams from the Indiana Water Polo program that have made it the program that it is today - one of the best in the country. This week, we look back at the career of Kristin Stanford.
When Kristin Stanford left Indiana in 2003, she was the IU all-time leading goal scorer with 246. The center, from Cincinnati, Ohio, accumulated 174 steals and 94 assists in here collegiate career.
In 2012, the three time Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) All-American became Indiana's first ever Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Hall of Fame Inductee. Stanford earned ACWPC All-America honors in 2001 (Honorable Mention), 2002 (Third Team), and 2003 (Second Team). She was also named to the CWPA All-Division First Team and All-Eastern Championship Team in the same years.
Stanford led the Hoosiers to a 26-11 record (7-1 CWPA Southern Division), the school's first ever CWPA Eastern Championship, and an NCAA Final Four appearance in 2003. In this season she scored a then single season school record of 73 goals. She was the only player named to the first, second, or third team (ACWPC) from outside of the state of California in 2003.
While a student at Indiana University, Kristin received many academic accolades. In each season from 2001 to 2003 she was name to ACWPC All-Academic, CWPA All-Academic, and Academic All-Big Ten Teams. She continued her scholastic success by obtaining her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences at the University of California, San Diego. She then moved on to pursue a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Joslin Diabetes Center at the Harvard Medical School in Boston. She has been a volunteer assistant coach with the Harvard Men's and Women's water polo teams while there.
We caught up with Stanford recently to look back on her career and also catch up with her life after graduation. Here's what she had to say:
What are some of your best memories of your time at Indiana, whether it is with Water Polo or not?
STANFORD: "My best memories at IU are times spent with my teammates whether on the pool deck or off - and in particular watching IU beat Duke in 2002 to advance in the NCAA tournament."
Is there one game or moment in particular that sticks out for you?
STANFORD: "Probably the highlight of my water polo career was winning the 2003 Eastern Championships my senior year. We had lost to Michigan in the semi-finals the year before in 7 OTs. To come back the next year and win the tournament was a great feeling. It was a great team win and a true culmination of four years of work."
How did playing water polo at Indiana help you prepare for life after college?
STANFORD: "I think playing a collegiate sport really teaches you to manage your time and effort and work with a team - skills that are essential to success after college."
What are you doing now in terms of occupation, where do you live, family?
STANFORD: "After graduating from IU I moved to San Diego for graduate school and earned my Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences at UCSD. I moved from San Diego to Boston to pursue a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Joslin Diabetes Center/Harvard Medical School in Integrative Physiology and Metabolism. I'm currently a Research Associate and Instructor in Medicine at Joslin/HMS."
Do you keep in contact with any of your teammates from your time at Indiana?
STANFORD: "I keep in contact with a several former teammates - we've all managed to make it back to Bloomington a few times since we've graduated for mini-reunion weekends. In fact, I'll see several of them at my wedding in a few weeks!"
Awards/Accolades
• ACWPC All-America - Second Team (2003)
• ACWPC All-America - Third Team (2002)
• ACWPC All-America - Honorable Mention (2001)
• CWPA All-Division - First Team (2001, 2002, 2003)
• All-Eastern Championship - First Team (2001, 2002, 2003)
• All-Midwest Regional - Second Team (2000)
• Big Ten All-Tournament - Honorable Mention (2000)
• ACWPC All-Academic Team (2001, 2002, 2003)
• CWPA All-Academic Team (2001, 2002, 2003)
• Academic All-Big Ten (2001, 2002, 2003)
School Records
• 2nd most goals - career - 246
• record 6 goals in one game - Stanford completed this task four time (last vs. UC-Santa Barbara, 2/16/2003)
Past Throwback Thursdays
September 25 - The 2006 Season
September 18 - Nicole Redder
September 11 - The 2005 Season
September 4 - Brooke Zimmerman
August 28 - The 2003 Season
August 21 - Jakie Köhli
August 14 - The 1998 Season
