Hall of Fame Class: Jessy Cardey

UCI women's water polo's first Hall of Famer was never too far away from Irvine. A Riverside native and Riverside Poly High School alum was a club player at SoCal that were coached by Dan Klatt and Andrew Rowe.

“UCI was always an option for me. I was getting looks from other schools, but I always knew UCI was where my heart was and was comfortable at.”

Cardey did her due diligence going through with her recruiting trips. She wanted to make sure she wasn't just going somewhere she was comfortable with and a place that would challenge her to be the best. She made sure to keep UCI as her final visit however, and the rest is history.

“How could I keep denying this, I want to be here and part of this program; it's where I fit - the style of coaching, the girls, and the culture, that's really what fueled my final decision”

Cardey joined the other 11 freshman in the class in that first season along with other teammates from club and high school. The competition was strong within their own pool while competing in the recently-formed Big West Conference.

“Settling in before school was fun. Practices were harder than I thought they would be. I had lifted weights, or what I thought I had coming into it, and didn't realize what it really was.”

Like most of the incoming Anteaters who had excelled with little resistance in their high school and club days, life came at them a little fast. Conditioning was a hump they all had to get over, classes were a little overwhelming as well, but Jessy was enjoying her experience and relished the thought of pushing herself to get to the top.

“I had been playing for a long time and I knew I had things to learn, but that was fun for me. Got play time my freshman year, and that definitely came with a lot of hard work and conditioning. There were times where some of us had to continue swimming while others were practicing water polo.”

That motivation was enough for Cardey to battle for practice time in addition to her own goal of cracking the starting lineup by year's end which she was able to accomplish.

“Overall, the experience of college there's really nothing like it. I'm a teacher now in high school and it doesn't feel the same. The family feeling of being on the team and at UCI and the overall environment and beautiful campus and area.”

“I wanted to make sure I did everything I could to help the team. I had a great group of seniors like Kat Plummer at center. I loved playing with her because you'd give her a good pass and she would score and point at you and hype you up.”

That confidence builder came with the culture of a Dan Klatt program. Cardey would reciprocate that whenever she scored and lit a fire under the large, cohesive freshman class.

“I remember the memories of having great teammates and that bond we had. Dan was good about getting us invested in this culture with quotes and experiences; I really bought in and those are things I really remember and take with me. I could not have had any of the success I had without all of my teammates over the years.”

Two of her best friends, Jillian Yocum and Danielle Warde, spectacular players in their own right, added to Jessy's highlights being able to play alongside them helping her get to where she was and where she is today.

The large freshman class with a full year of cohesion and experience in arsenal now and a strong core of talent and friends around Cardey boosted her into her sophomore year where the chains were taken off and UC Irvine and the Big West were eligible for an NCAA Tournament berth. The domination of the conference really took off with regular season and tournament titles and the program's first NCAA Tournament in 2011 sending the 'Eaters to Ann Arbor, Michigan.

“That first trip to NCAAs we matched up with USC who beat us by quite a lot in years past. Soaking in the setting and being in Michigan for the first time and the indoor pool, we went in thinking what do we have to lose? We deserve to be here and we're going to go for it. ”

The Anteaters held their own going into the fourth quarter tied with the Trojans in the first round matchup, and while they couldn't close it out, still left garnering attention and a fifth place finish. Even into the 2012 season with another NCAA trip and one-goal loss in the third place match at UCLA, the program was on the rise with Jessy Cardey at the helm having set a program record scoring 74 times.

Cardey's greatness in the pool set the standard setting records left and right. The 74 goals in her junior season were part of three 50-goal seasons on her way to 224 career goals setting the program high that was just broken this season.

Her consistency should be lauded with a record streak of 36 straight games with a goal that stood until recently, and she also put up a 15-game streak. Cardey is part of elite company with a 6-goal match and three other times put home five goals. Jessy's physicality and strength set her apart from the rest burying goal after goal in dominating fashion from a unique skill set that graced the pool.

Cardey was awarded with Big West Player of the Year twice in her sophomore and junior seasons. She was Big West Freshman of the Year, the only three-time NCAA All-Tournament honoree, and the first to claim four ACWPC All-American honors.

All the honors, records, and accolades don't sit as high on her mantle as the program that she has helped build. The culture, success, and tradition instilled by coach Dan Klatt that still rings true today is her proudest accomplishment.

“Dan is really good about creating and keeping that culture, and him along with our assistant coach Andrew Rowe, there's no one better at making good players into great players. This program that they've built along with the school itself have shaped me into who I am today."

"When I was on the team, I remember him talking about girls that came before us and the respect they've earned for what they've built. I feel that way now. I hope he's throwing the names of some of us or our team into the group and what we went through.

And now Jessy will be one of the first out of Klatt's mouth as the program's first of many Hall of Famers.

Since graduating, Cardey has remained near the pool coaching a little with the club she came up with and even as a volunteer for the 'Eaters. She has coached also at Foothill and Tesoro high schools all the while getting into the education field like her whole family before her was in. Subbing, supervising, doing every job you can imagine around a school and working through COVID and online teaching until breaking through for a full-time job just this year.

Cardey is nearby at Capistrano Valley High School teaching and an assistant on the water polo staff.

The honor hits home for Cardey not only to make her alma mater's Hall of Fame, but the first women's water polo player to break in.

“It made me feel like everything I've done up until this point in terms of water polo was validated. It has been a big part of my life ever since I was seven. It's been cool to know the times that were hard or I didn't like it or I had to mentally get through things made all that worth it.”

“To know I was still able to push through and come out ahead and be the bet athlete I could be and being recognized for it, it feels good. It wasn't about the goals, but I really worked my tail off and doing it alongside my teammates who also pushed me.”