TEMPE, Ariz. -- Mia Rycraw wasn't sold on attending Arizona State because she wasn't keen on the idea of redshirting for her first year of water polo in Tempe.
"I was really adamant about playing," said Rycraw, who was considering offers from Pacific, Cal State Bakersfield and Cal State Northridge. "I thought I was really good in high school and I thought I was ready, but what I didn't understand is that college is a totally different level."
Sun Devils coach Todd Clapper explained all the benefits "a year off" could provide, including adjusting to college life, conditioning, strength training and learning his system while taking pointers from then-starter E.B. Keeve. Four years later, Rycraw is thrilled she listened. She has a chance to go down as the best goalkeeper in Sun Devil water polo history.
Rycraw is currently third in Sun Devils history with 738 career saves, trailing No. 2 Keeve (2013-15) who posted 936, and No. 1 Caylinn Wallace (2005-08), who had 1,087. She is also third in all-time goals against average at 5.08, trailing No. 2 Dana Harvey (2009-10) at 4.40, and No. 1 Kaitlyn Morris (2008-09) at 4.06.
Rycraw posted three of the top-5 single-game save totals in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation this season, including an 18-save outing against Cal Irvine. She finished tied for second in the conference in saves (202) behind Cal State Bakersfield senior Courtney Wahlstrom (272), that school's all-time leader.
The MPSF, which boasted the top five ranked teams in the nation, named Rycraw first-team all conference. This followed a sophomore season in which she stopped 318 shots to lead the conference in saves, a feat Clapper didn't want her to repeat.
"That's such a burden to put on her," he said. "We don't want that many getting through and I think the team took on that challenge a lot more this season. The defense was a lot stronger, we were able to press more and our shot blocking was better."
Rycraw came to Tempe with a 6-foot frame and a wide wingspan that created inherent advantages at her position. But halfway through her redshirt season, she began a strenuous weight training program that has increased her leg strength dramatically and has helped her gain 20 pounds since she arrived.
"Her size and her athleticism and her strength and her reaction time obviously help; they're all the things you want," Clapper said. "But when people watch her play, the thing they notice is she's so calm in there. A lot of goalkeepers look nervous and will overreact and fall for fakes. She's not like that. She's focused and confident that she will react at the right time."
Rycraw's rapid development has opened doors at the next level of competition. In mid-March, over her birthday weekend, she was invited to train with Team USA's senior national team later this month, with the chance to compete in the World Championships in July in Hungary, and the University Games in August in Taipei.
"My goal is to go to Olympics in Japan in 2020," said Rycraw, whose mom played professional basketball in Japan. "It's crazy to think about that now because when I started I didn't know what I wanted out of water polo. It was just something I never considered before but playing during the summer on my club team forced me to think about how far I wanted to go with this sport."
Clapper believes this will be an eye-opening and career-altering summer for Rycraw. When she returns, he believes she will be playing at another level.
"With this next 12 months we're going to see something really different from Mia. We're seeing really good right now, but we're going to see great," he said. "Right now, I think she's in the top three goalkeepers we've ever had, but once she becomes more of a vocal leader in the pool, and understands how her passes can really fuel the offense and stays engaged when the ball is at the other end and gains that confidence from playing with the national team, she is going to put it all together.
"I think she is going to leave here as the best in history."
Follow Craig Morgan on Twitter
"I was really adamant about playing," said Rycraw, who was considering offers from Pacific, Cal State Bakersfield and Cal State Northridge. "I thought I was really good in high school and I thought I was ready, but what I didn't understand is that college is a totally different level."
Sun Devils coach Todd Clapper explained all the benefits "a year off" could provide, including adjusting to college life, conditioning, strength training and learning his system while taking pointers from then-starter E.B. Keeve. Four years later, Rycraw is thrilled she listened. She has a chance to go down as the best goalkeeper in Sun Devil water polo history.
Rycraw is currently third in Sun Devils history with 738 career saves, trailing No. 2 Keeve (2013-15) who posted 936, and No. 1 Caylinn Wallace (2005-08), who had 1,087. She is also third in all-time goals against average at 5.08, trailing No. 2 Dana Harvey (2009-10) at 4.40, and No. 1 Kaitlyn Morris (2008-09) at 4.06.
Rycraw posted three of the top-5 single-game save totals in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation this season, including an 18-save outing against Cal Irvine. She finished tied for second in the conference in saves (202) behind Cal State Bakersfield senior Courtney Wahlstrom (272), that school's all-time leader.
The MPSF, which boasted the top five ranked teams in the nation, named Rycraw first-team all conference. This followed a sophomore season in which she stopped 318 shots to lead the conference in saves, a feat Clapper didn't want her to repeat.
"That's such a burden to put on her," he said. "We don't want that many getting through and I think the team took on that challenge a lot more this season. The defense was a lot stronger, we were able to press more and our shot blocking was better."
Rycraw came to Tempe with a 6-foot frame and a wide wingspan that created inherent advantages at her position. But halfway through her redshirt season, she began a strenuous weight training program that has increased her leg strength dramatically and has helped her gain 20 pounds since she arrived.
"Her size and her athleticism and her strength and her reaction time obviously help; they're all the things you want," Clapper said. "But when people watch her play, the thing they notice is she's so calm in there. A lot of goalkeepers look nervous and will overreact and fall for fakes. She's not like that. She's focused and confident that she will react at the right time."
Rycraw's rapid development has opened doors at the next level of competition. In mid-March, over her birthday weekend, she was invited to train with Team USA's senior national team later this month, with the chance to compete in the World Championships in July in Hungary, and the University Games in August in Taipei.
"My goal is to go to Olympics in Japan in 2020," said Rycraw, whose mom played professional basketball in Japan. "It's crazy to think about that now because when I started I didn't know what I wanted out of water polo. It was just something I never considered before but playing during the summer on my club team forced me to think about how far I wanted to go with this sport."
Clapper believes this will be an eye-opening and career-altering summer for Rycraw. When she returns, he believes she will be playing at another level.
"With this next 12 months we're going to see something really different from Mia. We're seeing really good right now, but we're going to see great," he said. "Right now, I think she's in the top three goalkeepers we've ever had, but once she becomes more of a vocal leader in the pool, and understands how her passes can really fuel the offense and stays engaged when the ball is at the other end and gains that confidence from playing with the national team, she is going to put it all together.
"I think she is going to leave here as the best in history."
Follow Craig Morgan on Twitter