The last handful of seasons for the Los Gatos High girls water polo team have been some of the best in program history.
The Wildcats’ recently completed 2023 campaign was another one to put in the record books, as they finished 23-3, including going a combined 15-1 to win the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza Division round-robin and tournament championships and a spot in the Central Coast Section Open Division playoffs for the second straight year.
So, it’s no surprise then that Los Gatos had three players off this year’s squad—Karly Frangieh, Abby Lockman and Rachel Stephens—who will play for Division I programs next year, Frangieh and Stephens on scholarship. All three players have signed, Frangieh with Arizona State, Lockman with Cal State Fullerton and Stephens with Villanova.Â
A utility/attacker, Frangieh had a superb senior season, finishing with 111 points (78 goals, 33 assists). She also had 61 steals and made her presence felt as she was a threat to score at all times.
Off the ball, Frangieh was equally effective, attracting multiple defenders to her vicinity and opening up the team’s offensive flow of play. Meanwhile, Lockman ranked second on the team with 36 assists and had a huge impact playing the ultra-tough center position.
And Stephens experienced a meteoric rise, producing back-to-back stellar seasons in the cage after sitting behind two D-I goalies—Jackie King and Lucy Holland—in her sophomore year. The trio credited coach Don Appleton and the entire team for their success, noting the tight bonds led to cohesive play in the pool.
“Obviously, my coaches and my goalie coach made practice fun and so did my teammates,” Stephens said. “I don’t think I would’ve kept up with the sport if they didn’t make it enjoyable. I definitely had the option to not put in the [max] effort [this season] because I was the only varsity goalie, so I didn’t have to fight for playing time. But because my teammates were awesome and I saw how hard they worked, it made me want to work and be the best for them.”
Lockman said the entire process—from the games to the practices to the travel and team-bonding activities—was the highlight of her season.
“I was having so much fun playing because they are genuinely my best friends,” she said. “They’re the friends I hang out with everyday, in and out of season. [Toward the end] everyone was thinking about the last home game, or this is the last time we’re having a dance party in the locker room. We’ve been doing it for so long and we have a lot of great memories together that you didn’t want it to end.”
Frangieh said the team’s chemistry was the best for any team she’s competed on.
“I think it surprised me a lot because I’ve never been on a team as super close as this one,” she said. “Everyone on this year’s team was scoring or assisting each other and were really working well together. It really made me happy being a part of a team like that.”
Frangieh will join her older sister, Zoe, on the ASU team. Zoe was a senior on the 2021 Los Gatos team so the dynamic sister combo will be reunited once again. Karly is the rare talent who probably would’ve earned a D-I swim scholarship had she not chosen to pursue water polo for the next level.
A two-time CIF State top-30 placer in the freestyle events, Frangieh thought for the longest time swimming would be the sport she would compete in college. However, after a breakout junior season in water polo in 2022 followed by a strong summer club season with West Valley, Frangieh made the decision in July to commit to ASU for water polo.
“It was a really tough decision I had to make, but I ended up going with water polo because of the team aspect [of the sport],” she said. “And being able to play with my sister on a good team [was another key factor]. I’ve also been swimming a lot longer than I’ve been playing water polo, and I wanted to explore something new in college.”
Lockman was an integral player for her ability to draw exclusions and play tough defense, often times against the opposing team’s most physical player. Lockman first met Cal State Fullerton coach Kyle Witt when she was playing with her NorCal club team in the Junior Olympics last July.
The two kept in communication in the months after, at which point Fullerton became Lockman’s top choice. When Witt called to offer Lockman a roster spot on the team in mid-October, she was at a team bonding event at Frangieh’s home.Â
“I stepped away to take the phone call and when I came back, I didn’t know how to tell anyone,” Lockman said. “I kind of walked up to the team and told them I got a spot on Cal State Fullerton, everyone got really happy and it was great because I couldn’t have done it without them. It was a great moment.”
Stephens has surprised even herself in how fast she’s progressed after sitting behind two D-I goalies just two seasons ago.
“I definitely hoped I would be as good as Jackie and Lucy and they were excellent role models,” Stephens said. “I didn’t know for sure back then if I would be able to play D-I, so I guess I kind of surprised myself with that one a little bit.”
Stephens had a breakout 2022 junior season at goalie—her first year as a starter—before developing into one of the premier stoppers in the CCS this past year. Her cat-quick reflexes and ability to initiate the counter attack with pinpoint passes down the pool was key in the Wildcats’ success.
Stephens said she discovered Villanova as she searched for water polo programs, and quickly realized the private Philadelphia university had everything she was looking for and then some.
“I don’t know if I would’ve found Villanova without water polo, but I definitely would’ve gone there regardless if I was offered a spot on the team or not,” she said. “It has a beautiful campus, the coach and team were all super nice, I liked the whole environment and the community there was really great.”
Stephens credited her older brother Eli for accelerating her growth in sports, noting he didn’t take it easy on her as the two competed in just about everything growing up.
“I just wanted to be better than him at something and that included sports,” she said.
