Amber Val Stachowski (born March 14, 1983) is an American
water polo
Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with the ...
player for the
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). ...
and the U.S. National Team, who won the
bronze medal
A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receive ...
at the
2004 Athens Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
. Her position is center defender.
High school and college
At Capistrano Valley High School, Stachowski was a three-time First-Team
All-America
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
n (1999–2001) and 2001
California Interscholastic Federation
The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) is the governing body for high school sports in the U.S. state of California. CIF membership includes both public and private high schools. Unlike most other state organizations, it does not have a s ...
Player of the Year. In
club
Club may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Club'' (magazine)
* Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character
* Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards
* Club music
* "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea''
Brands and enterprises
...
play she was a member of the 2001 Golden West team that won the Winter Junior Nationals, and was named
MVP
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
of the tournament.
As a UCLA
freshman
A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions.
Ara ...
in 2002, Stachowski scored a goal in her first collegiate game against
UC Irvine
UC may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''University Challenge'', a popular British quiz programme airing on BBC Two
** '' University Challenge (New Zealand)'', the New Zealand version of the British programme
* Universal Century, one of the ti ...
, and recorded first collegiate career hat trick against
Stanford
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...
. In her first year, she had 29 goals on 43 attempts.
International and Olympics
At the fourth FINA Junior World Women's Water Polo Championships in 2001, UCLA freshman Amber Stachowski led the US to a gold medal. Stachowski led the US team with four goals in the 10-9 overtime victory over Australia. Stachowski
redshirted
Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...
during the 2003–2004 season to train with the United States National Team and play in the
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
in
Athens, Greece
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
. But in 2003, Stachowski sustained a concussion in a motor vehicle accident on a
Los Angeles freeway, which kept her out of the water for a few weeks. She recovered and qualified for the Olympic team 6 months later.
After Team USA earned first place in the 2003 Pan American Games and 2003 FINA World Championships,
USOC Player Biography
/ref> Stachowski scored two goals in the Olympics in games against Russia and Australia, helping win the bronze medal for the United States.
See also
* List of Olympic medalists in water polo (women)
Women's water polo became an Olympic sport at the 2000 Olympics. Since then, the United States women's team has won six consecutive medals.
There are thirty-five female athletes who have won two or more Olympic medals in water polo. Heather Petr ...
* List of world champions in women's water polo
This is a list of world champions in women's water polo since the inaugural official edition in 1986.
Abbreviations
History
The 1986 Women's World Water Polo Championship was the first edition of the women's water polo tournament at the World ...
*
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stachowski, Amber
1983 births
Living people
American female water polo players
Water polo players at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in water polo
UCLA Bruins women's water polo players
Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics
World Aquatics Championships medalists in water polo