FEATURED ATHLETE: KATE LAWLOR

By Stephen Janes

If the town of El Segundo were to think of one Water Polo player, it would be senior Katie Lawlor. Leading Water Polo to another CIF appearance, Lawlor led the way with her knowledge on the game, and her brain power out of the pool.

Lawlor is an amazing athlete in the pool. She played on the Junior Varsity team for one year, and then she was moved up to the Varsity Water Polo team. She also is an amazing swimmer, showing outstanding leadership and enthusiasm on the Varsity Swim team. She was an above average Softball and Soccer player, but she chose not to continue these two, since she wanted to stick with the sports that better suite her: water polo and swimming.

This season alone, Lawlor has accumulated 91 goals in 93 attempts (98 shooting percentage), and defensively had 36 steals. She was the teams 2 Meter-Offense for Water Polo. For swimming, she excelled and conquered in the 200 IM and the 100-Meter Breast Stroke.

Of all her glorious moments, her best one would be, “Getting to know more people that I wouldn’t normally know. Just gaining friends with other girls is the best thing.”

Her greatest inspiration is her family. She said, “They are really supportive of me. I support them too, and we are all really close together.”

As an idol, Lawlor looks up to her best friend Elizabeth Smith. “We look up to each other, even though she’s a volleyball player and I’m a Water Polo player.”

As a student, Lawlor currently has a 4.0 Grade Point Average. With that, she will be going to Arizona State University to play Water Polo for the Wildcats. While at ASU, she will be majoring in Elementary Education and wants to eventually become an elementary teacher. Lawlor enjoys History and English classes. Her favorite teacher by far is Mrs. Strand. She also enjoys being on the Honor Roll constantly.

When not at school, her favorite pastimes depend on the situation. While in town, she enjoys bike riding and hanging out with good friends. When she is on vacation or at the beach, she likes to wakeboard. When she is at the Plunge, either swimming or playing Water Polo is her choice. At home, she likes to relax and do some scrap booking with her family or by herself.