Alyssa Fricker: The woman with the most water polo goals in Chapman history
Photo Courtesy of Larry Newman
Coming into this season, the women's water polo all-time goals record stood firm at 223. Held by Jennifer Manship, an accounting major, it's lasted since her graduation in 2008, until March 12. That's when senior attacker and Orange County native, Alyssa Fricker, a psychology major, made her mark on the record book by slipping in three goals against The California Institute of Technology to claim the record as her own.
Fricker began her collegiate dominance at Augustana College in Illinois her freshman year, leading in scoring with 94 goals and adding 18 assists for the Vikings. The second leading scorer only put in 33.
Deciding to come back home and join the Panthers her sophomore year, Fricker’s impact was immediately noticed. Fricker scored on 68 of the 160 shots she took that season, and even managed to score 26 more goals than the second leading scorer on the team at that time, Julia Bridges.
Her junior year followed the same story, instead this time she wasn’t just leading in goals at Chapman. Fricker led all of the NCAA Division III women's water polo players, ending the season with 96 goals on 224 shots. That propelled the Panthers to an overall record of 14-12 on the season, and further solidified herself as the first name on every other team's scouting report.
Fricker currently sits seventh on the DIII goals leaderboard with 63 points in 13 matches played, putting her on track to establish yet another Chapman record: number of points scored in a single season, which currently sits at 129.
In an interview with The Panther, Fricker revealed the reason behind her success: Her teammates. She says breaking the record wouldn’t have been possible without them giving her countless opportunities to do what she does best.
“I felt excited and happy to be around my teammates when I scored the final goal to break the record,” Fricker said. “I couldn’t have done it without my teammates' help throughout my time at Chapman.”
Head coach Eric Ploessel said that there’s a lot more to Frickers game than most people notice. Instead of being the strongest or fastest, Frickers success comes from being the smartest player in the water.
“She knows how to get herself open,” Ploessel said. “She knows how to make a stop. She knows how to put herself in the best position, defensively and offensively. That's what makes her an amazing player.”
Although her talents in the pool are undeniable, Ploessel said the most impressive part of Fricker’s routine is the amount of time she puts into her studies. Looking back on his time with her, he realized there wasn’t an idle moment where she was without her computer, studying for whatever test or exam she had coming up.
“We were watching (game) film at 1 p.m.,” he said, “I walk in just before, and she has her computer out. She’s like ‘I’m studying, I'm studying…’ She is a great student.”
Playing at the national level is a potential next step for a player of Frickers caliber. But coach Ploessel said that he doesn’t expect her to pursue it.
“She still has more schooling to do after this,” he said. “That’s what she cares about more.”
Fricker agreed that it's true, after her senior year of water polo she is officially hanging up her cap to focus on her future career. Fricker plans on attending medical school, with hopes of becoming a doctor of psychology and helping others in need.
Setting these records are a big deal to Fricker, but the bigger deal is being able to grow closer with all of her teammates. She reflected back on her time with women's water polo fondly, remembering the precious time they’ve been fortunate enough to spend together over these past three years: trips for games in New York, tough matchups at Allred Aquatics Center Pool and everything in between.
Fricker said that she will always cherish her time as a Panther, and instead of praising her accomplishments she took the time to thank everybody around her.
“I want to thank my coach Eric Ploessel for the countless hours he puts in to make our team the best he can and I would like to thank my teammates for keeping me motivated and excited to practice hard,” she said.
As Fricker looks towards the remainder of her final season in the pool, she continues to show the same dedication to the sport she has for her entire career. But although her feats in the pool are impressive, possibly the most impressive part of Fricker’s career is knowing when it’s time to hang up the cap and focus on her future.