Hall of Fame
Annika Dries was one of the most formidable centers in US women's water polo history. From 2009 to 2014, the native of Laguna Beach, California, claimed a CIF Southern Section title, a FINA World Cup gold medal, a Pan American Games gold medal, two NCAA Championship titles at Stanford University, and – at age 20 – helped the US capture its first women's Olympic water polo gold medal in history at the 2012 Games in London. It's a staggering championship haul.
Her journey began in Orange County where Dries joined a junior lifeguard program in Laguna Beach. From there, she competed at the club level for SET Water Polo while starring at Laguna Beach High School in both swimming and water polo. While she was playing for the Breakers, one of the smallest high schools in Orange County became the dominant program in the area. Around the same time, she made her international debut at the 2006 Junior Pan Ams in Montreal. After she graduated from high school, she excelled as a member of the women's senior national team, earning 2010 World Cup gold in New Zealand, 2011 Pan American Games gold in Mexico, and finally the 2012 Olympic crown in London.
All that was wrapped into a legendary run at Stanford, where she served as team captain, won two NCAA Championships, was twice named NCAA MVP, and twice earned the Peter J. Cutino Award as the nation's best collegiate player. In 2024, she was inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame. After her playing days, Dries, now 34, transferred her drive to the medical field. She earned her M.D. from Stanford and is currently a resident in internal medicine at UCLA Health. Beyond clinical practice, Dries has conducted extensive research in sports cardiology and cardiovascular genetics. She also mentors student-athletes as well as students interested in medicine, and serves as an Olympic ambassador for Swim Across America which hosts open-water swims across the San Francisco Bay to raise funds for cancer research.
