While the eyes of many were trained on fax machines in collegiate athletic offices across the country for football’s National Signing Day Feb. 5, UCLA women’s water polo coach Brandon Brooks announced that four players had signed national letters of intent with the team.
The four recruits, who signed in November but were only announced by the team last week, all hail from California. Although Brooks had a smaller recruiting haul than football coach Jim Mora, he expects that the addition of three attackers and one center will shift the balance of the 22-woman roster to a more offensive team.
According to assistant coach Molly Cahill, three recruited walk-ons will also be joining the team next year. Two of them are attackers and one is a goalie, adding more offensive power.
“We wanted to add some speed, we wanted to add some offensive scoring ability,” Brooks said. “That’s what we got.”
The recruiting class will also fit in with the team, according to Cahill.
“It’s a good range of personalities and I think they will all bring something different to the team. They are all very competitive, they’re willing to learn, and they all come from different backgrounds, which will only make the team stronger,” Cahill said.
The star of the class may well be Devin Grab from South Pasadena, whom Brooks called “a dynamic attacker” with excellent shooting ability. In addition to scoring more than 400 goals during her high school career, Grab has played for the U.S. Youth National Team several times, including during the 2012 FINA Youth World Championships, where she helped the U.S. team to a fourth-place finish. According to Brooks, she has also trained with the senior national team several times.
Alessandra Vilches, another attacker, hails from Woodland Hills and should also bring some power to the team’s offense. Brooks described her as a “very versatile attacker” whose speed on counterattacks makes her a good fit for the Bruins.
“I think she’s someone who’s a little bit under the radar, but I think she’s gonna be great here,” Brooks said.
For at least one player already at UCLA, Vilches is anything but under the radar.
“I can’t wait for her to come. She’s like a little sister (to me),” said sophomore center India Forster, a former teammate of Vilches’.
The third attacker in the class, Grace Reego, comes from Granite Bay High School, where she scored more than 300 goals in her career. An “explosive, quick attacker,” according to Brooks, Reego should fit in well with Vilches and Grab.
“She’s very, very explosive, very fast twitch,” Brooks said. “Which is somewhat rare in (the) women’s water polo game, so I really look forward to what she can bring (to the team).”
The only defensive player in the class, Alexis Angermund of Long Beach was, according to Brooks, “a last-minute decision.” She was considering both UCLA and California, but eventually decided to stay in Southern California. Brooks seemed most impressed by the credentials of her club team.
“She plays for Huntington Beach (Water Polo Club), which is a very strong club (that) has produced some solid centers. I look for her to grow a lot here,” he said.
The Bruins could need this offensive power in the next year – the team has already had trouble sustaining its offensive discipline against Cal and Stanford this season, and two of its attackers are seniors.