Sun Devil women's water polo has had tough competition this season but was able to weather the storm under the leadership of head coach Todd Clapper.
Currently boasting a 14-4 record and a top-10 ranking in the newest Collegiate Water Polo Association poll, the Sun Devils have fought hard against the top teams in the country.
"I think we've gotten better as the athletes have gotten better,” Clapper said. “As other programs have gotten better we've been able to recruit better but every team is different, every team has their unique set of strengths and their challenges that you've gotta work through.”
Clapper arrived in the Valley in 2004 as an assistant coach after a successful tenure with Brown University. At Brown, Clapper served as the head coach for both the men’s and women’s water polo teams from 1998-2004.
The women's team at Brown was able to earn a birth into the inaugural NCAA Championship in 2001 and finished with an impressive 22 wins in that season.
Fast forward to the 2005 season, when Clapper became the new assistant coach for ASU women’s water polo program. Since then, Clapper has led the team to great success — all while balancing his work with international teams.
He took the role as coach for the U.S. Youth National Team in 2006, led them to the Pan-Am Junior Championships and then brought home the gold. More recently, Clapper served as the head coach of the New Zealand women’s national team in 2008 and 2009, where he lead the team to the FINA World Championships in his final year as coach.
Back in Tempe, Clapper continued to grow the Sun Devils by bringing some of the top talent both nationally and internationally, including former Sun Devil Addison McGrath, who is the program's all-time leading goal and point scorer. In addition, Ao Gao finished off her career last season as the third Sun Devil in program history to be named a First-Team All-American.
“I’ve been really fortunate to have really good athletes that bought in and we've really changed the culture from since I was first here,” Clapper said.
The maturity of the players and how they’re willing to go the extra mile is the key.
“The success in the past five years or so has been predominantly due to the attitude of the athletes,” Clapper said. “When they're not here they're still doing things to make sure they're prepared for the next training or game.”
Redshirt freshman and walk-on Catherine Simko has only had two coaches in her water polo career. She said Clapper’s coaching style is one that has benefited her greatly.
"He's straight to the point, he's not gonna beat around the bush and tell you did something great and then something wrong,” Simko said.
Clapper is also good at creating a positive team chemistry, Simko said.
“He's very good at picking a team that goes well together,” she said. “We look at other teams that don’t get along as much and it helps us a lot more in the water.”
Junior teammates Alkistis Benekou and Lena Mihailovic said they both agree that Clapper puts an emphasis on how the team gets along outside of the pool.
“One year, two of our players had a little bit of an argument, and they didn't talk for a while," Mihailovic said. "So he came to practice wearing a white shirt with both of their faces on it."
After the team laughed at the incident, Clapper said he was going to wear the shirt until the girls made up. Almost immediately, the girls were friends again.
“For him it's really important our team chemistry,” Mihailovic said. “He can bring in an outstanding player, but if they don't fit in the team that's not what he wants.”
ASU is now heading into the toughest part of its schedule. They'll face off against three top-five programs — Cal, USC and UCLA. While the competition may be difficult, one thing remains certain for the Sun Devils: With coach Clapper leading the way, the future looks bright.
Reach the reporter at klbroder@asu.edu or follow @KellyB1459 on Twitter.
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