Local grads suiting up for Western polo

Two Plateau area athletes took part in a Northwest Division Collegiate Water Polo tournament Saturday and Sunday at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Wash.

Sarah Henneford, a 2005 graduate from Sumner High, and Brooke Flaquinti, a 2009 graduate from Enumclaw High, play for the Western Washington University women’s team. Henneford and Flaquinti both played for their high school teams for four years. Henneford is a senior at WWU, and a team captain; Flaquinti is a WWU freshman, playing her first year of collegiate water polo.

Henneford is the daughter of Dennis and Kathy Henneford of Sumner and will graduate in 2010 with a degree in environmental science. Flaquinti is the daughter of Annette and Joseph Flaquinti of Enumclaw.

The WWU Vikings finished the tournament 3-1.

In Saturday’s action, WWU started the tournament with an 18-1 loss to the University of Oregon “A” team, but beat Oregon “B” 8-6 later in the afternoon. Sunday, the Vikings beat Western Oregon 14-7 in the morning and closed the tournament with an afternoon, 18-5 win over Central Washington.

The Northwest Division of the Collegiate Water Polo Associated has seven women’s teams, including two teams from the University of Oregon and teams from the University of Washington, Oregon State University, Western Oregon University, Central Washington University, and Western Washington University.

Currently, WWU is in third place in the Northwest Division, behind defending champion Oregon “A” and Oregon State University.

The team’s next tournament is Feb. 13 and 14, hosted by the University of Washington at the Curtis High School pool in University Place. The Northwest Division Championships will be hosted by the University of Oregon on March 6 and 7 at Willamalane Swim Center in Springfield, Ore.

The division champion will represent the Northwest Division at the National Collegiate Water Polo Championships on April 23 through 25, hosted by the University of Arizona, in Tucson, Ariz.