In a sport long dominated by California athletes, Elsie Windes put Oregon women's water polo on the map at the Olympic level. Hailing from Portland, Elsie followed in the water polo footsteps of her father Doug and sister Lucy. She was a standout player in the age-group ranks in Oregon, claiming a high school championship at Beaverton while competing on the club scene with Tualatin Hills. Discovered by USA Water Polo National Team staff during a 1997 clinic, she went on to become a three-time All-American selection at the University of California, Berkeley, and more recently a Cal Hall of Fame inductee. Elsie joined the national team in 2006 with her sights set on the Olympic Games. An integral piece of Team USA's staunch defense, Elsie immediately made an impact helping the red, white, and blue to an undefeated 2007 campaign, which included a FINA World Championship. Windes made her Olympic debut in 2008 as Team USA claimed Silver in Beijing before adding another World Championship title the following summer in Rome. The wins continued as Windes was part of Team USA's first FINA World Cup title in over 30 years with a Gold medal in New Zealand in the summer of 2010. Windes' Team USA career culminated in London in 2012 as the United States earned Gold for the first time in program history. Now a wife and mother of three, Windes was recently back in the pool for a scrimmage with her sister's water polo club, bringing her water polo journey full circle.