It’s not everyday you get to see a female athlete play in a men’s water polo game. Perhaps the reason is that it is difficult to find anyone with such dedication and love for the game as 20 year old talent, Anna Herrera.

“They needed players and Justin knew I had experience.” Definitely not a newcomer to the water, Herrera has been swimming for about seven years during which she began varsity water polo her sophomore year in high school.

Herrera admits that she has played other co-ed sports with males, but that this is her first time being on a men’s team. “Everyone is bigger, faster, stronger than me … So, I have to figure out how to play smarter,” she said.

“She knows the rules of defense and offense. Some guys don’t really know what’s going on,” said water polo coach Justin Nicholas.

But Herrera’s leap into competition with males is of no surprise to those who know her, even those who do not.

“I tell her to take the cage and shoot because guys back off … they don’t think she can do it. She scored against Hartnell,” Nicholas said.

Previous to that match against Hartnell, Herrera said she had women approaching her in the locker room complimenting her efforts. “Apparently, I have ‘a lot of guts’ to go play with the guys,” she said.

She said, however, that playing on an all guys team can be very frustrating. It can be uncomfortable just because she is, at times, left out of the “team experience.”

Being the only female on the team, she has no one to talk with in the locker room about how she played. And in the games, she says that opposing teams treat her different than they do the other players. “I was actually apologized to on the spot when I was hit by a ball during a game,” Herrera said.

Herrera says that her experiences have actually had a very positive reaction from all the women with whom she has spoken. She hopes she will be an inspiration for women to come out and play polo next fall.

Next fall, there will be a women’s water polo team. Tammi Hopkins who helps coach this year’s team will be the girls polo coach next year. “She is

really supportive, she is always reminding not to be intimidated by the boys and to play hard. She used to play on a boys team too. She’s awesome!”

Hererra hopes to transfer to Florida State, or Arizona State for a bachelor degree in nursing.