BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana water polo team added their first signing for the 2017 season. Megan Abarta (Simi Valley, Calif.) has penned her National Letter of Intent with the Hoosiers.
Abarta looks to be a valuable asset on both sides of the ball for Indiana. Standing at 5’11”, her length will give her an advantage inside 6m the moment she takes the pool in 2017.
High School Summary: Royal High School
Abarta played four seasons under head coach Devin Hurst and her mother, assistant coach Joyce Abarta, at Royal High School in Simi Valley. She played four seasons at the varsity level for the Highlanders in tandem with four varsity letters for swimming. In her freshman season, Abarta shattered Royal’s assist record, setting the tone for what would be a prolific prep career.
Through three seasons, Abarta tallied astounding numbers with 147 goals, 169 assists, and 160 steals. Her season accolades include All-League and All-County first team honors, and she’s earned two consecutive selections to the “Top Ten Players of the Year” list by the Los Angeles Daily News.
Abarta has earned several intra-squad honors in her career as well. She led the Highlanders in steals her freshman and junior year, picked up the Coach’s Dream Award her sophomore year, and won the Play Maker Award her junior season.
Royal, with contributions from Abarta, achieved the crown jewel of California Water Polo last season, winning the school’s first-ever CIF title in February 2015.
“I’m so excited we won,” Abarta told the Los Angeles Daily News last February, “It’s what we’ve been working for all year, and we finally got it.”
In Abarta’s senior season, Royal opened the season ranked No. 1 in the CIF-SS Division 4 poll, and look to be one of the favorites to contend for the 2015-16 CIF title.
Club Career Summary: Rose Bowl W.P.C.
In addition to her work with the CIF title-winning Highlanders, Abarta is a member of the Rose Bowl Water Polo Club in Pasadena, Calif. She is the first player from coach Adam Roth’s club to sign with the Hoosiers.
Abarta had a great deal of success with Rose Bowl W.P.C. as well. Her club won the gold medal in the 2010 Junior Olympics, and finished fourth in 2014. Abarta has gained valuable experience at the domestic and international level with Rose Bowl, including trips to Spain and Greece in 2014. The club is set for a trip to Italy next year.
From Coach King: “Megan has great length and is an energetic player. She fits quite well here at Indiana. Her high school and club experience is of the highest quality. Megan’s best water polo is yet come, and we are very excited to see her contributions here.”
Swimming news courtesy of Indiana Water Polo.