El Capitan High water polo star makes her college choice. Where is she headed?
The gravity of the moment hit El Capitan High senior Alexis Smith as she sat at the table on the pool deck with the pen in her hand and an important piece of paper lying in front of her.
Her dream of playing Division I college water polo was going to be realized. Smith signed her national letter of intent to accept an athletic scholarship to play water polo at Cal State Northridge in front of family, friends and teammates on Thursday afternoon.
“I was kind of awestruck as I sat there looking around,” Smith said. “I saw Coach Kristie (Dunham), who has coached me since the beginning when I was 8 or 9 years old. I kept looking around and I realized, ‘Oh, my gosh, this is really happening. I’m going on to play Division I water polo.’”
Smith says she’s always dreamed big, but this was the ultimate dream for her athletically.
She comes from an athletic family. Her father Kevin played tennis and lacrosse growing up and her mother Dara competed in downhill skiing and ice skating. Her younger brother Ryan also plays water polo.
“I’ve always had a connection with the water,” Alexis said. “I was a bad runner as a kid. I found my coordination in the pool. Water polo just became my sport.”
Her parents told her if she wanted to play water polo beyond high school to go ahead and work for it. She did just that, playing varsity water polo at El Capitan all four years, helping lead the Gauchos to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II championship game in 2019. Smith was an all-Central California Conference first-team selection and named to the all-section first team.
Dunham says Cal State Northridge is getting a well-round player who will be able to make an impact soon.
“Alexis is first and foremost a great teammate,” Dunham said. “She’s very coachable and willing to play any role for the team. She’s a dynamic player who shoots very well from the outside and her fundamentals are outstanding.”
Smith finished her junior year at El Capitan with a 4.8 GPA and plans to major in biotechnology and medical technology at Cal State Northridge. She hopes to become a dentist.
Recruiting process
Smith said the coaching staff at Cal State Northridge made the recruiting process inviting in a time where athletes couldn’t meet with prospective coaches face-to-face due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Smith considered schools like UC Davis, Long Beach State and Santa Clara University, but just felt more comfortable with the coaches from Northridge. She verbally committed to the school in September.
“The recruiting process was just weird,” Smith said. “I always thought I’d be walking on a pool deck and have to start a conversation with a coach. The coaches just made me feel comfortable talking on the phone on a Zoom call. They were really inviting and really made a point of getting to know me during the recruiting process.”
With her club season canceled due to the pandemic, Smith was relegated to sending highlights from practice and old high school videos.
“With everything going on I’m glad the recruiting process still happened for her and she was able to find a program that was a good fit for her,” Dunham said. “It’s great that kids from our area have opportunities available like this. Alexis was committed, she put in the work. She played club in Clovis and did all the weekends required.”
Smith is excited for her next chapter.
“My dream was to play in college and the fact that it’s actually happening, I’m just excited,” she said. “I’m excited to meet my new teammates. This is a dream come true.”
This story was originally published November 12, 2020 at 6:08 PM.
