Natalie Golda

Natalie Golda
Personal information
BornDecember 28, 1981 (1981-12-28) (age 42)
Lakewood, California, U.S.
Medal record
Women's water polo
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2008 Beijing Team competition
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Athens Team competition
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2003 Barcelona Team competition
Gold medal – first place 2007 Melbourne Team competition
Silver medal – second place 2005 Montréal Team competition

Natalie Golda (now Benson, born December 28, 1981) is a former American water polo player and currently the head coach of the newly formed Fresno State Bulldogs water polo team to begin competition in 2018.[1] Considered one of the greatest women's water polo players of all time,[citation needed] her senior leadership helped guide the 2005 UCLA Bruins to their seventh national championship. In May 2005 Golda received the Peter J. Cutino Award, given to the best player in women's collegiate water polo. She was also a member of the US Water Polo Team that won the bronze medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics and the silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In 2015, she was inducted into the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame.[2][3]

She was born in Lakewood, California.

  1. ^ Natalie Benson Named Fresno State Women's Water Polo Head Coach, USAWaterPolo.org, June 17, 2016
  2. ^ "Natalie Benson (2015)". usawaterpolo.org. USA Water Polo. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  3. ^ "Hall of Fame Inductees". usawaterpolo.org. USA Water Polo. Retrieved 18 September 2020.