At Biola, women’s water polo prepares for historic premiere
Members of Biola's women's water polo team, from left, Paige Thoennes, Hanna Jordan, Samantha Rainey, Veralie Naranjo and Kadee Torres-Guerrero, during their first meeting at their home pool, Splash! in La Mirada. (Photo by Keith Durflinger)
LA MIRADA – In the year 2022, it will be a new beginning for the Biola University women’s water polo program.
First year coach Sarah Orozco, hired officially in May 2020, hit the ground running last summer and a year later the UCLA grad has 20 players set to help usher in a new era at the La Mirada campus.
Orozco, who comes to Biola after spending the 2016-2020 seasons as the assistant coach at Azusa Pacific University and won a national championship with the Bruins in 2008-09 season, is still aiming to sign three more players to the squad.
In addition to the women’s team, Biola has also added a men’s team, which will begin play this fall under the direction of coach Rick Nordell along with new assistant coach and Sarah Orozco’s brother, Salvador Orozco.
With the addition of the men’s and women’s teams, Biola now has 18 varsity sports. 2021 marked the transition into NCAA DII for the university, which was a three-year process.
The following are the steps the university took to transition into DII and the approval of the two new sports:
1. First step of approving the proposal of Men’s and Women’s Water Polo: July 2019 - the President’s Cabinet at Biola University approved a proposal for the athletic department to sponsor both men and women’s water polo beginning with the 2021-22 school year.
“Adding men’s and women’s water polo programs is a great fit for the direction of Athletics at Biola University,” Senior Director of Athletics Dr. Bethany Miller said.
2. Biola hires Sarah Orozco and Rick Nordell as women’s and men’s water polo coaches, respectively: May 2020 – Biola Athletics announces the hiring of UCLA graduate Sarah Orozco as its first head coach. Rick Nordell, who has been the coach at Golden West High School in Visalia for 26 years, led his team to back-to-back CIF titles in 2014-15.
3. Announcement of DII competition: July 2020 - Dr. Barry H. Corey, President of Biola University, received a phone call from leadership at the NCAA, informing the institution that it’s officially been granted full membership into NCAA Division II.
This notification ends Biola’s three-year membership transition process and comes four-and-a-half years after university leadership first identified the need to rise from NAIA to NCAA Division II. This announcement of full membership comes more than 10 years after Biola’s Board of Trustees first began considering a shift in the Eagles’ national athletic affiliation.
4. Official announcement of conference affiliation: December 2020 - The Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) Executive Committee unanimously approved Biola Men’s and Women’s Water Polo for membership in the conference beginning in 2021-22.
The WWPA was founded in 1981 as a men’s water polo conference featuring NCAA Division I and III teams. The women’s group was launched in 1999 and began sending teams to the national championships in 2001.
Biola women's water polo Head Coach Sarah Orozco. (Photo by Keith Durflinger)
“I’m still recruiting and need three more players,” said Orozco, who was also a four-year varsity water polo and swimming letter winner at Montebello High School. “That is the goal.”
The first signee for Orozco was goalkeeper Damaris Kientz, who is a freshman from Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada.
Orozco, who assisted at APU for four years prior to her Biola hiring, had first seen Kientz when she came on her official visit as a junior in high school.
Kientz graduated this year and APU didn’t need a goalie and the timing was just right for her to sign with Biola.
“Once I had the first nine or 10 players, then I had a good feeling about the team,” she said. “I thought, wow, this is awesome and no one is even playing yet.”
There were other issues still to be taken care of, such as equipment, water polo balls, goals, etc. “Coach [Nordell] and I were involved in the ordering.”
However, one important item was missing and still is – an assistant. “I’m on the search right now for an assistant,” Orozco added.
Because of the pandemic, it wasn’t possible to get an assistant hired.
On the men’s side she added, “.my brother is working and getting on board with the men’s team and that’s exciting that he is coming here to Biola.”
As for the schedule, Orozco is involved with the games to be played.
“I try not to get too excited yet,” she said. “It’s exciting getting into tournaments. I don’t know their talent yet as a team, but I want them in higher tournaments.
“What excites me is the scheduling of games.”
Biola women's water polo head coach, Sarah Orozco, center, talks with team members during their first meeting at their home pool, Splash! in La Mirada. (Photo by Keith Durflinger)
As for her first official job as a head coach, Orozco turned to some of the coaches on the Biola campus to help with the recruiting process and received a great response.
“I needed to figure how to recruit and met a couple in person and also in Zoom meetings with Biola coaches,” she said.
One of her recruits, Paige Thoennes, was right in front of her. In fact, she has been around the Biola campus for quite a while. Both of her parents, Erik and Donna Thoennes, are on the faculty at the university. Erik is the chair of the Theology Department.
Freshman Paige Thoennes, who played water polo at La Mirada High School, played a lot of sports at an early age.
“When I was younger, I played a lot of different sports from tennis to soccer,” said Thoennes, who was adopted by Erik and Donna Thoennes at the age of seven and is from Taiwan.
“A friend of mine bugged me to play with her on a co-ed water polo club team (at Biola). I joined and loved it. I started at age nine and played in their youth program.
“I’m very excited to play on Biola and a Christian team and feel very honored that Biola has allowed me to play for them on their very first team.”
Thoennes was among five players that gathered for a photo session and actually was the first time anyone had met. They gathered at Splash Aquatic Center, which is the home pool for both teams.
“It’s really nice to finally have them together after recruiting them and meet some of them in person,” Orozco said. “I was getting to know them through video and face time. It was pretty exciting to finally get to see a few of them.
“But there is still a while before I get to see all of them, but the date is getting closer. I’m excited about that.”
The team actually doesn’t get to practice as a team until this fall when they all show up for school.
Another unusual twist for one of the Biola players is one half of a set of twin sisters.
Freshman Samantha Rainey, a goalkeeper, is set to be a part of the inaugural women’s team. However, her twin sister, Shyanne, currently plays for APU and plays the set position.
It will be a house divided for the Rainey family for the next few years. Shyanne actually told Samantha about the forming of the water polo program and the hiring of Orozco as coach.
Samantha simply said of the ongoing rivalry between the two schools and possible meeting in 2021 with the twins opposing each other, “I’m just going to say ‘game on’, because I really want to beat Azusa.”
And so it begins for the Biola University women’s water polo team.
Chad Torres-Guerrero talks with her teammates on the Biola women's water polo team during their first meeting at their home pool, Splash! in La Mirada. (Photo by Keith Durflinger)
What they said:
Veralie Naranjo, freshman: “I just thought it was super cool and more amazing to come here (Biola). We’re building together and learning and setting goals for the future people to come in (and play). It’s just a beautiful campus as well.
“I think it’s going to be an amazing opportunity for me to get to know people from everywhere. At the end of the day, I just want it to be a family on the team. I think it’s going to be a fresh new start for everyone.”
Hanna Jordan, graduate student: “I’m just excited for the opportunity to try and build something and see what it will turn into. The fact that it’s new is kind of exciting, versus kind of walking on to a team that’s already established. I’m going to be here for a year and I thought it’d be kind of cool to get the opportunity to start something.
“This was the best opportunity for me and my academic career and where I’m at right now. It made the most sense for me.
“I never thought I’d be 23 and playing water polo, but here I am.”
Kadee Torres-Guerrero, sophomore: “I played at Riverside City College and finished second in state in 2019. I knew that I wanted to transfer this year and at Biola is where I felt most welcome and most at home and I belonged here.
“Biola was the last school to reach out to me and my coach at RCC talked to (Coach Orozco) and she reached out to me.
“I think coming here, it’s going to be cool to be able to socialize with people of all ages and different points in their lives. It’ll be cool to learn and work together on the same team. It’s nice to really see faces (at the photo session) rather than just seeing pictures. “
Samantha Rainey, freshman: “I played field in high school and hurt my right shoulder and switched to my left arm and then I realized I wanted to play in goal. I just worked on my goalie technique ever since. I love defense.
“I think without COVID I wouldn’t be transferring to Biola. It would have never crossed my mind to play water polo (after high school).
“I went and talked to my dad and I told him about Biola and my mom said they are both playing and they are rivals.”
Paige Thoennes, freshman: “I’m very excited to play on a very diverse team with a lot of Christian ladies. We’re all sisters in Christ.
“I was really thinking about just doing my major, but I heard that they had a water polo program. I approached Coach and she accepted me and I was very excited.
“I heard about it and was overjoyed and couldn’t believe it. My dad comes in and tells me about the program starting up.
I’ve always loved watching all of the Biola sports.”
Biola notes
Biola athletics has just announced the first three of six EDDIES award winners for the past year.
The Female Newcomer of the Year is freshman Meghan Tolman of the swim and dive team. The Male Newcomer of the Year is freshman Matthew Trejo.
The third category is the Biola Breakout Performance of the Year, which was won in its inaugural year by Madison Beebe of the women’s volleyball team.
The remaining three awards will be announced in a later edition of The Norwalk Patriot.