San Marcos alumnus Ava Stryker is a water polo national champion.
Styrker scored two goals and had an assist to help USC defeat Cal, 10-9, in the NCAA Women’s Water Polo national championship game on Sunday at the Canyonview Aquatic Center in La Jolla.
Stryker, a junior, earned first-team NCAA All-Tournament honors along with teammates Emily Ausmus, the MVP, and goalie Anna Reed, who had a career-high 14 saves and three steals in the final.
In an 11-10 semifinal win over UCLA, Stryker dished out a career-high five assists and scored the eventual winning goal on a power play after drawing the exclusion with under five minutes to play.
Cal had local representation in San Marcos alum Kate Meyer. She scored a goal and set up another in the final. Stryker and Meyer were teammates at San Marcos and with the 805 Santa Barbara Water Polo Club.
The national title was the eighth in program history for USC.
