Although their backgrounds could not have been more different, ASU water polo freshmen Addison Doud and Rowie Webster have stepped into similar roles and become closer than they ever imagined.
When the year began, no one could have guessed that they would have grown close. As the only two freshmen on the team not redshirting, it appeared they had only their position on the team in common.
Still, the two have combined to lead a Sun Devil offense that ranks sixth in conference play. The two top scorers on the team both rank in the top five in freshmen scoring, with Webster heading the list.
But from there, their similarities are few and far between, except that they each came to Tempe with a unique background.
High school
Both Doud and Webster came from areas that most people in Tempe wouldn't find common.
For Doud, her high school experience was different because most high schools don't have a camera crew following their students.
That's because Doud went to Laguna Beach High School, the school featured in MTV's Laguna Beach.
"It was hard," Doud said. "A lot of the people are like what you see on the show, and being an athlete I didn't really fit in and participate in some of the stuff that is portrayed on the show."
Growing up, Doud grew used to the exposure that came with her school and eventually adapted to it.
"I never thought of it as different," she said. "I guess I just grew up in it, so it was all I knew."
While Doud came from a town most people knew, Webster comes from a place that few in America know anything about.
Born in Victoria, Australia, Webster has grown up playing water polo in a high school much the opposite of Doud's.
"The main difference, I think, is Australia is a little bit more relaxed," Webster said.
Although the atmospheres were very different -- Webster's high school was an all-girls school -- they both grew up with a passion for water polo, a passion that would bring them together.
College
"The biggest difference is definitely the size," Webster said. "I went to a high school of probably 1,000 kids, so coming to a school of 58,000, it's an enormous change."
For Doud, college life was also about change.
"I'd say it's a big change coming from Laguna Beach to anywhere," she said.
Going to college is about adapting to a new life, new friends and a new culture. But in the end, it means simply being who you are. For Doud and Webster, that meant returning to the pool.
"They've been a huge impact," coach Todd Clapper said. "The strength that they have, it gives us a lot more options, particularly on the offensive end."
In their first season for ASU, both Doud and Webster have been doing more than just watching and learning.
"I tried to impact as much as I could and I think I've done the job that the coach wanted me to do," Webster said.
Webster had little time to adjust to the college game as she joined the team following the fall semester.
"She jumped right in, she stepped up and learned things very quickly. Not only is she physically gifted but she's a student of the game," Clapper said.
With their season winding down, both Doud and Webster have put any doubts behind them.
This year, they have both enjoyed time in the spotlight, each being named Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Player of the Week, the only Sun Devils to do so this year.
Webster won her award in late February after scoring nine goals for the week. This week, Doud joined her teammate as she picked up her award following a four-goal weekend.
So far this season, it has been less about their differences outside the pool and more of their similarities inside of it that has made the difference.
"I think it's a really good relationship, it's sort of a joking relationship," Webster said. "We sort of bully each other a little bit, but it's been great. She's been such a big help on traveling and stuff, so it's been fun. Being both freshmen, it sort of makes you come together a little more and help each other out."
Reach the reporter at william.hayes@asu.edu.
