Jessica Marie Steffens (born April 7, 1987) is an American

water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, 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 water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...

player. She was a member of the United States national teams that won a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics and a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. She also played at Stanford University.

Personal life

Steffens was born in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

to Peggy Schnugg and Carlos Steffens. Her father, a native of

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

, became interested in the sport of water polo after witnessing a match as a child in Puerto Rico. He played for Puerto Rico in three Pan American Games. Her father left the island and joined the water polo team of

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

where he became a three-time All-American, leading the California Golden Bears to the 1977

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

championship. In 1979, he was the PAC-10 player of the year in water polo. Jessica is tall and has two sisters and one brother, who all played water polo. Her sister Maggie is also on the U.S. national team.

Career

High school

Steffens, inspired by her father, played on the water polo team for four years at Monte Vista High School. She led the team to the NCS championship twice."Jessica Steffens"
gostanford.com. Retrieved August 15, 2012.

College

Steffens started her career at Stanford University as a freshman in 2006. She scored 15 goals that season, as the Cardinal finished third at the NCAA championships. The following year, she scored 35 goals, and Stanford finished second in the country. Steffens redshirted the 2008 season to train with the U.S. national team while they prepared for the 2008 Olympics. She returned to Stanford in 2009, scored 12 goals, and was named to the All-MPSF first team and All-National Collegiate first team. In her senior year, she scored 17 goals, helping Stanford advance to the NCAA final.
usawaterpolo.org. Retrieved May 17, 2013.

International

Steffens scored five goals in the 2007 Pan American Games, as the U.S. finished first. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, she scored five goals, helping the U.S. win the silver medal, and was named to the Olympic Media All-Star team. At the 2009 FINA World Championships, she scored four times, and the U.S. won gold. Steffens did not compete in 2010 following shoulder surgery. She returned in 2011 and helped the U.S. win the gold medal at the Pan American Games. She then won a gold medal with the U.S. at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Awards

In 2019, Steffens was inducted into the

USA Water Polo Hall of Fame The USA Water Polo Hall of Fame, located in Irvine, California, is a hall of fame dedicated to honoring players, coaches and officials who have contributed greatly to the game of water polo in the United States of America. It was established in 197 ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Steffens, Jessica 1987 births Living people American sportspeople of Puerto Rican descent Sportspeople from San Francisco American female water polo players Water polo centre backs Water polo players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Water polo players at the 2012 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in water polo Olympic silver medalists for the United States in water polo World Aquatics Championships medalists in water polo Water polo players at the 2007 Pan American Games Water polo players at the 2011 Pan American Games Pan American Games medalists in water polo Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Stanford Cardinal women's water polo players Stanford Graduate School of Business alumni Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games Monte Vista High School (Danville, California) alumni