FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State water polo team is preparing to compete in the Wolverine Invitational, hosted by Michigan March 2-3. Before the Bulldogs make the trip to Ann Arbor, GoBulldogs.com caught up with sophomore Callie Woodruff.
The Baytown, Texas native is tied for the second-most goals on the team netting 21, and recording four multi-goal games. Woodruff has also dished two assists and swiped three steals. She was named the GCC Player of the Week on Feb. 14 after she helped lead the Bulldogs to a 23-4 win over Fresno Pacific. Woodruff tied her career-high with five goals in the game, she also dished one assist and swiped one steal.
Last season, Woodruff was a key member the Bulldogs' offense during their inaugural season. Woodruff scored a team-high 46 goals and logged a team-high 13 multi-goal efforts. She was named GCC Player of the Week once during the 2018 season and received All-GCC Honorable Mention accolades.
We asked her a variety of questions from where she draws her inspiration from to what her favorite class at Fresno State has been.
Q: What was your water polo journey, and how did you end up at Fresno State?
Woodruff: "I grew up in Texas and played for Viper Pigeon Water Polo Club since the age of six. As I got older, during the summers I would stay the entire summer in LA, train and compete with Rose Bowl Water Club to train at a higher level. Since I needed to train year round, my junior year of high school my mom and I moved out to her hometown of Fresno, Calif. where I played and graduated from Clovis High School. This was a big journey for me, and once I found out who the coaching staff was at Fresno State I couldn't pass up the offer to begin something great!"
Q: What drew you in about starting a new program?
Woodruff: "Head coach Natalie Benson and assistant coach Caitlin Haskell definitely had a huge impact on my decision on choosing Fresno State. I was able to be coached by them in the past through ODP, and Benson was my National Team coach for a year. I loved their coaching styles and their drive to create something big at Fresno State. It took one night of sitting down with Benson and talking about her goals for the following year to know this was something I wanted to be a part of."
Q: Where do you draw your inspiration to play water polo from?
Woodruff: "My inspiration definitely comes from my parents, who have sacrificed a lot for me to be able to get me competing at the highest level. They moved me across states so I was able to continue playing water polo at the level I needed. I also do it for the athletes from the clubs in Houston and my hometown Baytown, because water polo is not very big in Texas. I want them to know that no matter what, hard work pays off in the end."
Q: How has season two been different from season one?
Woodruff: "Season two has been incredibly different from season one, in every good way possible. The grind is unreal and every single person is giving their all. The competition is through the roof because we all want to be in the pool representing the Valley."
Q: Coach Benson puts a lot of emphasis on the program representing the Valley, what does that mean to the team as a whole?
Woodruff: "Representing the Valley is what our team is all about. The Valley is truly something incredible to be a part of and it's something that nobody wants to take for granted. The Valley is a huge family, and we want to have their backs just like they have ours. Not many other programs get to experience something like that."
Q: What do you want fans to know about this team?
Woodruff: "I want fans to know how awesome we really are. Not only as student-athletes, but even as individuals. It's a great group. We are honestly each other's best friends, which is so rare for any program. We love to dance (the dab), to sing, to cheer on our fellow Bulldogs and to drive our coaches insane."
Q: What are the challenges of being a student-athlete?
Woodruff: "A challenge of being a student-athlete is really trying to find the balance between the two. It can be really hard to keep up with school, traveling and competing. Luckily, we have so much help to keep us on track. Shout out to academic advisor, Kendall Boliba!"
Q: What is your favorite class you've taken at Fresno State?
Woodruff: "My favorite class I've taken is definitely Math 45 with Professor Ryan James."
"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" - The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.
