People often go to great lengths for things they love, a statement that rings especially true for Paige Hacker.
When no water polo team was present at Phoenix Desert Vista High School, Hacker took it upon herself to create one rather than give up the sport she loved.
Despite being just a freshman in high school, Hacker, a former swimmer, was determined to create a water polo program at her high school.
“I had to petition at my school because it had to be a club sport,” Hacker said. “I talked to a lot of people and got a lot of support. I talked to the principal and then got the blessing from the school to start the program.”
After Hacker got the program started, she still needed competitors.
“I needed people so I talked to all my friends and got a bunch of people to play,” she said.
Hacker’s passion for the game is obvious and is a big part of why she was recruited by the Sun Devils.
“She’s always had a passion for the sport and that’s one of the reasons we recruited her,” ASU coach Todd Clapper said.
Elaine Bentley, who coached Hacker from her sophomore to senior year in high school, also testifies to Hacker’s love for the sport.
“Her passion is very strong,” Bentley said. “She was very proactive [in creating a club]. She found me, a first year teacher and said, ‘Hey, we have a program, can you be our club sponsor?’”
There are plenty of athletes passionate about their sport, but talent and passion are two different things, and not every athlete has both.
But Hacker does.
The freshman, who started playing water polo because she did not like swimming, was not recruited to ASU solely upon her passion for the sport, but also because of her impressive water polo resume.
Hacker was captain of her high school team for all four years and was named to the Arizona High School All-League Polo team in 2007, 2008 and 2009. In 2008 and 2009 Hacker also played on the Junior National Training team.
College athletics are certainly different than high school, but Hacker is managing the transition well.
“She had a good summer and a good fall,” Clapper said. “She’s doing really well. She is growing as a player and learning a lot.”
While Hacker is progressing, she is still a freshman, and Clapper feels her impact will not be felt until next season after she has another summer under her belt.
Hacker also acknowledges an adjustment period, but feels the majority of the adjustments are not physical ones.
“It’s really mental,” Hacker said. “It’s a lot more intense than high school. Everything is about water polo here.”
While spearheading the effort to start a team at Desert Vista High School is impressive, it is not the only milestone Hacker has achieved in her brief water polo career.
When Hacker chose to attend ASU, she set a new standard for high school girls in Arizona.
Hacker is the first girl from Arizona to play Division I water polo.
“I’m really happy that in a state known for swimming, someone was able to break the ice and say you can play water polo as well,” Bentley said. “It is a sport that has always been overwhelmed by southern California, Michigan, and the northeast.”
Clapper is also impressed with Hacker and understands the significance of her accomplishments.
“I think it’s great,” Clapper said. “It’s great for her in terms of setting the standard for everybody. She’s the person [that] people, on the women’s side, can look at and say, ‘Hey, I can go play.’”
Some athletes shy away from the spotlight and try to avoid the pressures of being the first to do something, but Hacker relishes the opportunity.
“It’s important to me,” Hacker said. “It’s something I really wanted.”
Being a role model may not have been Hacker’s intent when she started this journey, but now the Sun Devil freshman hopes that she is able to inspire other girls to follow their dreams.
“I would really hope that I would be someone to look up to,” Hacker said.
Reach the reporter at william.boor@asu.edu
