Former Hoosier Stanford to join water polo Hall of Fame

Kristin Stanford, who played water polo for IU from 2000-03, will be inducted into the Collegiate Water Polo Association Hall of Fame on April 26.

She is the first Hoosier to be inducted and is the 21st player to be enshrined in the hall since its founding in 2002.

“It is with great pride and admiration that Indiana Water Polo celebrates Kristin Stanford’s induction into the CWPA Hall of Fame,” IU Coach Barry King said in a press release. “Her athletic career accomplishments speak for themselves, but her ability to be the best teammate possible is what made her the great player she was.”

She was an Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches All-American three times and is the all-time leading scorer in IU history with 246 goals, including a single-season IU record 73 goals in 2003. She ranks in the top 10 in IU history in assists and steals, as well.

During her collegiate career, Stanford and her teammates compiled a record of 85-48 and a 33-6 conference record. In 2003, she helped lead IU to its first CWPA Eastern Championship and  NCAA Final Four appearance.

Her success extended beyond the pool during and after her time at IU. She made appearances on the ACWPC All-Academic team and the CWPA All-Academic team while having a spot on the Academic All-Big Ten list from 2001-03.

She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in exercise physiology in 2002 and earned a Master of Science in exercise physiology in 2004. She finished her Ph.D. in biomedical science from the University of California-San Diego in 2009.

While working at the Joslin Diabetes Center at Harvard Medical School, she has found time to volunteer as an assistant coach at Harvard the past two seasons.