Nov. 20, 2007

Stockton, Calif. - Second year head coach Megan Thomson and the Pacific women's water polo team have announced the addition of eleven new athletes for the 2008 season. Joining the Tigers this spring will be Courtney Boettger, Bridget Geck, Meara McCarthy, Bethany Quertermous, Dara Tawarahara, Siobhan Larsen, Taylor Sutton, Catherine Collett, Kailee Bucknum, Gabi Perez, and Beth Noelette.

Courtney Boettger will compete as the utility position for the Tigers and is from Stockton, Calif. Boettger attended Lincoln High School, where she earned four varsity letters in swimming and three varsity letters in water polo. She was the captain of her polo team in 2006 and 2007 and as a senior she received her school's senior female athlete of the year award. Courtney received all-league honors on two occasions in her high school career as a Trojan.

Bridget Geck will compete as a driver for the Tigers and is from Huntington Beach, Calif. Geck attended Fountain Valley High School, where she participated in soccer and water polo. In addition to earning two varsity letters in water polo, Geck was named her team's MVP in 2007 and she received all-league honors as a junior and a senior. She scored 112 goals in her high school career, including 65 goals as a senior in 2007.

Meara McCarthy attended Suffield Academy in Suffield, Conn. As a Tiger, Meara earned four varsity letters in both swimming and water polo and was named the captain of both teams during her senior year. In addition to playing club water polo in Greenwich, Conn. and Portland, Oregon, she was also a member of the New England Zone and New England Prep School Water Polo championship teams. McCarthy will be a utility player for the Tigers.

Bethany Quertermous will compete at the utility position for the Tigers and is from Humble, Texas. Quertermous attended Humble High School, where she earned multiple letters in swimming and water polo. As a senior, Bethany led the Wildcats to a state championship in water polo and earned first-team all state honors. In 2007, she was named her team's MVP and she narrowly missed earning the state's most valuable player award.

Dara Tawarahara will compete at the utility position for the Tigers and is from Honolulu, Hawai'i. Tawarahara attended 'Iolani High School, where she earned three varsity letters in swimming and four varsity letters in water polo. As a senior, Tawarahara scored twelve goals in three games at the HHSAA state water polo tournament and was named the tournament MVP upon its conclusion. In 2007, she also was named the Interscholastic League of Honolulu's player of the year.

Siobhan Larsen will compete as an attacker for the Tigers and is from Mundelein, Ill. While attending Mundelein High School, Larsen earned four varsity letters in swimming and three varsity letters in water polo. In addition to leading her team in scoring for three consecutive seasons, Siobhan also earned all-state honors in 2006 and was named to three all-sectional teams in her career as a Mustang.

Taylor Sutton is from San Jose, Calif. and will compete at the driver position for the Tigers. Sutton attended Santa Teresa High School, where she earned varsity letters in swimming and in water polo. In 2005 and 2006 Taylor was named her team's MVP and in 2006 she was also named to the Blossom Valley all-league team for her performances throughout the season.

Catherine Collett will play for the Tigers at the driver position and is from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. While attending Cypress Bay High School, Collett earned three varsity letters in swimming and three varsity letters in water polo. During her junior and senior seasons, Catherine scored a combined 161 goals to lead her team in scoring both years. In addition to being named her team's MVP, she also earned All-American honors after scoring 96 goals in her junior season for the Lightning Bolts.

Kailee Bucknum is from Mission Viejo, Calif. and will play at the driver position for the Tigers. Bucknum attended Mission Viejo High School where she earned four varsity letters in swimming and two varsity letters in water polo. In 2007, Kailee led her team to a SCL Championship and was named her team's MVP. She also competed on the Set Water Polo Club coached by Brad Schumacher, who was a four-time All-American at University of the Pacific from 1992-96.

Gabi Perez will play the utility position for the Tigers and is from Ventura, Calif. While attending Berkeley High School in Berkeley, Calif., Perez earned multiple varsity letters in soccer, swimming, and water polo. After high school, Gabi attended Laney Junior College for two years, where she was named the MVP of her water polo team for in 2006 and 2007. She also competed in swimming for the Eagles and was the captain of the water polo team.

Beth Noelette will play for the Tigers at the driver position and is from San Jose, Calif. Noelette attended Leland High School, where she earned four varsity letters in swimming and three varsity letters in water polo. Beth led her water polo team to four Blossom Valley Athletic League Championships in her four years as a Charger and she also competed on the San Jose Aquatics club team.

"I am excited to have these athletes join us in the journey of building a strong women's water polo program here at Pacific," said head coach Megan Thomson. "They bring the motivation, work ethic and determination needed for us to continue to make positive steps in our program."