A key contributor since day one at UC San Diego, junior Alexis Wieseler comes into the 2015 season with back-to-back 72 and 58 goal seasons on her resume and will be one of the unquestioned leaders of this year's Triton squad. Head coach Brad Kreutzkamp is certainly aware of the 6-foot Highland native's importance to his team. “Alexis has one of the best shots of anyone we've coached here,” says Kreutzkamp. “Couple that with her size, length and two-meter defense and you've got a really well-balanced player.” Wieseler netted 11 goals at the season-opening UCSB Winter Invitational (Jan. 24-25) and was named WWPA Player of the Week. With the 16-team Triton Invitational looming (Feb. 7-8), the two-time All-WWPA selection took time to talk about this year's squad and her role on it.
Q: How is the team different without UCSD's all-time leading goal scorer Sarah Lizotte on the roster?
WIESELER: The team has a whole new dynamic without our seniors. Mel Bartow and Sarah Lizotte both radiated intensity in every practice and game which we missed when we came back in the fall. Just like every other team that graduates seniors, we have to make the adjustment to fulfill roles and continue playing just as efficiently in order to have a successful season.
Q: From an offensive standpoint, how do you see this year's team making up for the goal production it could always count on from her?
WIESELER: This year's team is going to be geared more towards counter attacks and stronger defense in order to keep games closer than we did last year. Our team is also going to rely on more outside shooters. We have multiple people on the team who can easily put away high corner shots and it is going to be necessary as we progress throughout the year.
Q: Over the past two seasons, you've scored more goals than anyone on the team other than Lizotte (130) but do you consider your most important role to be offensive or defensive?
WIESELER: Personally, I consider my most important role to be defensive because I have been developed as a center defender (and we only have two other defenders). It requires the majority of my focus because I always have to be on top of my game, on defense, to avoid getting into foul trouble or else I'll find myself on the bench and unable to help my team.
Q: Although you lost four key seniors off of last year's squad, you still have a lot of experience coming back. What do you expect will be the strength of this year's club and what do you feel is still the biggest question mark?
WIESELER: The strength of this year's club is that we are going to be the most in-shape team that this program has ever seen. Every day we are putting in a lot of work and out of my three years here, this year has had the toughest conditioning workouts so far. We want to be able to still have energy in the fourth quarter of the fourth game of a tournament. I believe that the biggest question mark is how we are going to play in every game this season and how we are going to take on talented teams. I believe in my team and I can't wait to see how this year unfolds.
Q: The team went 2-2 at the recent season-opening UCSB Winter Invitational. Can you give us an overall evaluation of the four games the team played in Santa Barbara?
WIESELER: Our first day at the tournament was a little rough. I believe we lost to ASU and CSU Bakersfield because we have new players filling different roles and everyone was trying to figure out how to play together in synergy instead of playing against our own teammates for the first time in months. On Sunday, we came out with a vengeance and improved our style of play tenfold. We beat two highly ranked teams—Michigan and Long Beach State—and only had 30 minutes in between games! There was an exciting new energy and it is something we plan to maintain throughout our season.
Q: With just two seniors on the roster, where do you see the leadership coming from this season? What do you think is important in that department?
WIESELER: Our captains (Jolene Guiliana and Andie Nishimi) both play extremely important roles as leaders and I also see informal leadership roles throughout our team. This system is more constructive because we are all able to learn from different players' experiences, especially when we don't necessarily know what our actions look like from a different perspective, such as form when we shoot.
Q: Who is a player that you think might emerge as a surprisingly important contributor in 2015?
WIESELER: I think a lot of people are going to emerge this year in a big way. We have an impressive array of talent on our team which is going to make a difference this year. Based on our weekend in Santa Barbara, I believe Laurel Kistler is going to be a huge contributor for our team. She is fast up and down the pool, plays phenomenal defense, can maintain her composure, and is able to put the ball in the cage when we need it most.
Q: In your two seasons at UCSD, the team has won a pair of WWPA championships and advanced to the NCAA Championship both years. What do you remember most about the two NCAA events—2013 in Boston (Harvard) and 2014 in Los Angeles (USC)? Which one was more exciting?
WIESELER: NCAA's in Boston was probably one of the best travel trips I have ever been on. I had never been to the East Coast before and it was such an incredible experience to walk The Freedom Trail and see places with great historical meaning. Also, the championship game in Boston was an exhilarating nine quarters with a sudden death ending, which had everyone on the edge of their seats. NCAA's in Los Angeles wasn't as eventful, but what I remember most is that we were close to beating UCLA - once earlier in the year and once at NCAA's. I love that we can be competitive with a top-three team in the nation.
Q: Was either as thrilling as beating San Diego State to win the annual Harper Cup for the first time last season?
WIESELER: I don't think that either of our presences at NCAA's was similar to the feeling of beating SDSU for the first time for the Harper Cup. It was almost deja vu for me because in my sophomore year of high school, my team was the first to win our league championship since the advent of our program. The feeling we get from those types of wins is something different because we went down in history and it is gratifying when we put in the hard work all year long and it pays off at such a crucial time. We plan on keeping the Harper Cup at UCSD.
Q: What kind of coach is Brad Kreutzkamp? Give us three words that best describe him?
WIESELER: Brad Kreutzkamp is unlike any coach I have ever had before. All of my previous coaches were rarely straight up with me when it came to my style of play and how there are so many areas I need to improve in. I appreciate his honesty because I want to be the best I can be and I know that Brad and Jenna are the people who can help me get to where I want to be in my water polo career. I would describe him as intense, passionate, and competitive.
Q: Tell us about some of the personalities on the team. Who is the best cook? Who is the smartest? Who is the funniest? Who has the best fashion sense?
WIESELER: Andie Nishimi (one of our senior captains) is the best cook on our team and the smartest! She makes the majority of our food at team dinners and I am pretty sure she maintains a 4.0 GPA. Hannah Caskey (one of our freshmen) has the best fashion sense. She never fails to impress everyone at weights with her expansive collection of creative socks. I think Julia Kirkland and Lauren Finwall (both juniors) are the funniest people on our team. If anyone can get a group of people laughing, it would be one of these two with their unmatched dance moves and witty comments.
Q: You're a human biology major at UCSD and had planned to head toward a career in physical therapy. What's the career blueprint look like now?
WIESELER: Originally, I wanted to be a physical therapist because I spent a lot of time in sports therapy throughout high school and most of my time here at UCSD. I am incredibly thankful for our staff in the ATR, especially Helena Russell, for taking great care of our team. Currently, I am pursuing a pre-med/pre-health career because I love working with people and I want to be able to see something different every day.
Q: You're a native of Highland at the base of the San Bernardino Mountains. What can you tell us about Highland, and what are a few “go to” stops for a visitor?
WIESELER: Highland is historically known for it's massive orange groves and orange production. From Highland, we can be in Palm Springs, Orange County, Los Angeles, and Big Bear within a short one hour drive. There are more things near Highland, rather than in the city itself. A “go-to” stop would definitely be Lake Arrowhead, which is only 20 minutes away.
Q: You have about a year and a half left at UCSD. What are three things you'd like to accomplish before graduating?
WIESELER: With my remaining time here, I would like to win an NCAA championship, actually be able to stand on a surfboard for longer than two seconds, and break one of our school water polo records.
Previous Triton Q&A Features
Troy Cruz (Baseball) January 27, 2015
Miranda Seto (Women's Basketball) January 6, 2015
Naomi Thomas (Women's Swimming & Diving) December 30, 2014
Cameron Ravanbach (Men's Water Polo) November 21, 2014
Eric Olen (Men's Basketball) November 17, 2014
Mitchell Shulman (Men's Fencing) November 13, 2014
Paul Li (Men's Swimming & Diving) November 1, 2014
Paige Hughes (Women's Cross Country) October 20, 2014
Danielle Dahle (Women's Volleyball) October 14, 2014
Tareq Alwafai (Men's Cross Country) September 25, 2014
David Higginson (Men's Water Polo) September 18, 2014
Matthew McClure (Men's Soccer) September 10, 2014
Caitlin Brenton (Women's Volleyball) September 3, 2014
Michelle Yasutake (Women's Soccer) August 25, 2014
2013-14 • 2010-13 • 2004-09
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