NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN graduate Tori Wilson has been selected as one of eight Big West Conference nominees for the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year award. A two-year letterwinner on the Matador water polo team, Wilson graduated summa cum laude in psychology and was named a 2019 Big West Scholar-Athlete of the Year in March. Wilson also has earned a spot on the Dean's List in each of the last two years at CSUN.
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Wilson was also named a
2020 Big West Scholar-
Athlete of the Year
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Wilson was named to the All-Big West Second Team in 2019 and earned her first career All-American award from the ACWPC after the shortened 2020 season. She has scored 95 goals over the past two seasons and led the team in scoring in both campaigns. Outside of the pool, Wilson was a research assistant, an intern for Helping Hands Senior Foundation and a volunteer water polo coach at KW Kraken Water Polo.
A record 605 student-athletes were submitted for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award, which honors graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers.
Conferences will now select up to two nominees from the institutional pool and forward them to the Woman of the Year selection committee. The selection committee will choose the top 10 honorees in each division (I, II, III). From among those 30 honorees, the selection committee will determine the three finalists in each division. Finally, the members of the Committee on Women's Athletics will vote from among the top nine finalists to determine the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year, who will be named this fall.
 Tori Wilson'sWell-Traveled Journey Culminates at CSUN
For anyone, adjusting to college life means having to adapt to change. Tori Wilson can attest to that fact.
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Originally from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, Wilson accomplished much in her two seasons with the Matador water polo team. An All-American and Big West Scholar-Athlete of the Year this past season, Wilson helped the Matadors post their second-best start in team history in 2020 before the campaign was cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Â
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"Looking back, it puts into perspective how wild my athletic journey in the States has been," said Wilson about this past season.
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Wilson's two-year college career with the Matadors wraps up a four-year college experience in the United States, which included a two-year stint at Hartwick College where the program was discontinued.
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Through all of the uncertainty and unplanned events, Wilson looks back at her water polo journey with pride. In the beginning, it wasn't always easy for the water polo standout.
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"I was not very talented in my first few years," said Wilson. "By the time I hit about sixth grade, I improved drastically. I was never physically a huge player, but I was strong and I understood the game. I could anticipate and envision where the game was going from a young age."
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Wilson recalls that her work ethic was cultivated through her relationship with her brother, who she desired to be better than at the game. That drive would lead to her to participate in club water polo.
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She began her club experience in the fourth grade where she played for KW Inferno. The team, which is now called KW Kraken, has had a lasting impact on Wilson, who still volunteers with the program when she is at home.
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"I had an incredibly influential coach named Glen Keelan there," said Wilson. "He is the reason I first fell in love with the sport and he had high expectations that helped me develop the work ethic I now possess."
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Wilson also competed against older age groups at a young age, which helped further her water polo skills.
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"Having few players in the female water polo world, I would play in the U-16 and U-18 age groups when I was in seventh and eighth grade," said Wilson. "Playing against bigger, stronger girls forced me to become creative with how I played."
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Wilson tallied 134 goals in
two seasons at Hartwick
Entering her early teenage years, Wilson played co-ed water polo until she returned to playing with female water polo players when she hit the U-16 age group. She also played for the Canadian National Team in multiple age groups, highlighted by a silver medal win at the Canadian Eastern National Championship League.
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After graduating from Grand River Collegiate Institute, Wilson's early experiences would lead her to Hartwick College where she spent the 2017-18 seasons. With the perennial nationally-ranked squad, Wilson flourished and amassed 134 goals over two seasons.
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"My team was so talented," said Wilson. "The team was highly international. We all brought a unique style of play to our team. We learned from one another. The dynamic was fun because of all the diverse languages and cultural differences."
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However, despite fielding a Top-15 team in the pool, the program went through economic hardships leading to a discontinuation of the program in 2018.
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"It honestly felt like the world was ending," said Wilson. "It launched us into an emotional battle of trying to hold on to the team and trying to figure out what was best for us as individuals."
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Wilson, who chose Hartwick because of its nursing program, kicked around the idea of staying with the school to complete her education and play club water polo. With two years of college eligibility still left, Wilson would soon make a decision.
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"I came to another country to play the sport that I loved and I wasn't ready for it to end," said Wilson. "I could transfer back to a Canadian school, but then CSUN called me."
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After weighing her options including interest from Iona College, Wilson chose CSUN. Putting a pause on her nursing degree, Wilson turned her attention to earning her psychology degree over her final two years at CSUN.
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Making the move from one coast to another, Wilson experienced quite a few differences from life in Southern California compared to back home in Kitchener.
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"Weather is a huge factor," said Wilson. "It's crazy how much energy you have when the sun is always shining. Playing in outdoor pools is also pretty nice. I got to experience Oneonta, a small college town in upstate New York where everyone knows everyone but at CSUN it was the complete opposite because it's such a huge school."
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While it may have been an adjustment period, Wilson's production never wavered in the pool. In her first season at CSUN, she led the Big West Conference with 94 points and posted team-highs in goals (63) and assists (38).
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Her efforts gave her All-Conference recognition for the first time in her career. Despite the individual success, Wilson never got caught up with the numbers.
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"I set high expectations for myself," said Wilson. "Athletes and coaches focus too much on statistics, I just focus on being the best version of myself. As long as I am personally obtaining my goals, that is enough."
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Heading to her senior season, Wilson picked up right where she left off, tallying 32 goals through 19 matches to push her career tally to 229. She also led the Big West with 35 steals.
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On March 8, Wilson and the Matadors nearly knocked off eighth-ranked UC Santa Barbara in an overtime thriller. It was another step forward for a Matador team that was improving game after game. However, the Matadors would not have another game in 2020. Â
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As the coronavirus outbreak took shape in the United States, soon sporting events throughout the country quickly shut down including college sports. Just four days after the UCSB match, the Big West announced it would cancel all spring competition.
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As a result, Wilson's college career was over.
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"It was definitely heartbreaking hearing that our season was canceled," said Wilson. "We put in a lot of time and effort into training and I would have loved the opportunity to compete. It was also completely understandable and a necessary decision for the NCAA to make."
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Wilson earned her first
career All-American award
in 2020
The week of the cancelation, Wilson was to be honored as CSUN's Female Big West Scholar-Athlete of the Year in Irvine, Calif. In April, she would have played her final match at Matador Pool and received recognition on Senior Day. While those moments were stripped away from her, Wilson has much to be proud of in her short time at CSUN.
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In the days and weeks following the cancelation of her senior season, Wilson was reflective of her career and her accomplishments. Looking back on her journey, it is the small things that she most remembers and cherishes.
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"I've done a lot but it's not really about that, it's about the little things," said Wilson about her time at CSUN. "It's about the team meeting where we started the catchphrase 'calm down Beyonce.' It's about Kenzie's [McKenzie Beardsley] dance moves. It's about the unity that a team develops. It's about those moments that you will remember for the rest of your lives."
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An impressive individual water polo athlete, Wilson recognizes the help she received along the way from her support system.
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"My parents have been my number one supporter," said Wilson. "From driving me to late-night practices early in my career and supporting me all the way in California, they have been with me throughout.
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From Kitchener to New York and Northridge, Wilson has racked up thousands of miles along the way in her college career. Throughout that time, she has also accumulated dozens and dozens of teammates that have helped her become successful.
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"Obviously, the entirety of both my CSUN and Hartwick teams have a special place in my heart," said Wilson. "I am so thankful for the friendships I have developed with Ashlee Sellung, Alessia Marquez and Kylee Jansen, and at Hartwick, I am thankful for Madison Germuska, Hayley Hill, Zsofia Polak, Maryanna Antoniou and Lena Kotanchyan.
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"I am fortunate to have friends all over the world," added Wilson.
