LOS ANGELES – Amid euphoric celebration and splashing water, Stephania Haralabidis cried. Her salty tears mixed with chlorinated water to make the concoction of a true champion.
Haralabidis buried a mid-pool shot with six seconds left to propel USC to an 8-7 national championship-winning victory over Stanford in the NCAA women’s water polo tournament on Sunday at UCLA’s Spieker Aquatics Center. The Greek national team member contributed to seven of USC’s eight goals, scoring five and assisting on two, as USC capped a 26-0 season.
“This kind of performance is a performance for the ages,” USC coach Jovan Vavic said of Haralabidis, a Corona del Mar High product.