ABBOTSFORD, British Columbia --- Damaris Kientz found so many outlets for expressing her talent and work ethic while she grew up in Abbotsford. 

The second Canadian transplant Head Coach Sarah Orozco has signed for the Eagles' first women's water polo team, Kientz played three sports during her high school years while balancing volunteer work and academic excellence. She's found a real niche for her skill set in the pool and is assured that Biola will also be a great fit for water polo and future career aspirations. 

"I am super excited to be joining the Biola Athletics community and to be a part of the inaugural season of the women's water polo team," said Kientz. "I chose Biola because it is a place where I can pursue education and athletics while being grounded in Christian teachings. It is also pretty close to some of my extended family, which is great!"
 
Kientz has amassed quite the list of accomplishments as a club player for Fraser Valley Water Polo over the past few years. She contributed to a U14 National Championship League bronze medal team and a 16U team that earned a silver medal at the 2018 Junior Olympics. Along the way, she earned two Most Valuable Goalie awards from her Fraser Valley club and delivered a great performance in last year's NCL, leading the 19U division across Canada in saves per game (9.53) while finishing second in total saves.
 
Kientz was also the only 19U goalkeeper to appear in the top-10 leaderboard for steals and helped Fraser Valley give up the second-fewest goals in the Western Conference. 
 
On top of her club success, the future Eagle was very active at her high school, Abbotsford Senior Secondary School, where she was named to the honor roll three times and was recognized on the Principal's list three times for her notable work ethic. Additionally, Kientz played on the school volleyball and rugby teams and assisted in sports instruction at the school by scoring games that Abbotsford Senior hosted. 
 
She has since graduated from high school and spent the past few months training with a high performance club and volunteering at a summer bible camp, where she's enjoyed sharing God's love with campers over the course of several years. Her dedication has really stood out to Coach Orozco and should help build the character of the first-year team. 

"Damaris uniquely brings integrity and talent in a way that connects to both her faith and her sport," said Orozco. "I am most excited that she has a heart for boldness as well as a heart of a servant leader. And I'm eager to see her grow in her faith and thrive in athletics in an atmosphere where God comes first."
 
Kientz plans to major in kinesiology at Biola and pursue a career as a sports physiotherapist in the future. More information on the rest of the student-athletes that will join her at Biola in 2021-22 can be found on the Committed Athletes page.