Pines Charter Girls Varsity Water Polo team makes history as they win their 8th district championship and the first one in four years. They win with authority as they beat Cypress Bay of a score of 14-5. An impressive team effort has allowed them to go off to Regional playoffs as they face St. Thomas Aquinas in the regional semi-final. With a team filled with so much talent, one of the players that stand out in the bunch is captain, Stella Dioguardi. 

   Stella, who is currently a junior, was a vital part of the team’s run throughout the regular season and playoffs. She has a combined amount of 43 goals throughout the entire season and six of those goals coming in the district final. In addition to these goals, she has a combined 21 assists in the season. She leads the team in goals and is second in total number of assists. These stats are only half of what she brings to the team as she also brings leadership and motivation to the team. 

   Stella shares her emotion on winning the district championship while being captain of the team: “When we won districts it was truly one of the best feelings. After all the hard work throughout the season it was really worth it. In the 4 years that I have been with this team we have never won districts, so it was a big accomplishment”. 

   With that district final win they went on to go against St. Thomas Aquinas in the regional semi-final. They went on to win this game with a close score of 10-9. Arguably one of their most challenging games this season, they trailed the entire game up until the final quarter. Stella scored twice in this game and the team went on to go to their first regional final in recent years. They faced Westminster Academy in their regional finals. Despite their lengthy playoff run, Westminster Academy put a stop in that playoff run as Pines Charter lost to them. 

   This water polo team has been one of the most successful teams in Charter in the 2020-2021 season with not only winning district finals but also reaching regional finals. With only one senior on the current team, next year’s team will have the same faces and will no doubt try their hardest to defend their district title and bring back a state championship trophy.