Claire Sonne - Assistant Coach - Women's Water Polo Coaches

Claire Sonne

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
claire.sonne@csun.edu

Claire Sonne completed first season as an assistant coach to the CSUN Water Polo team in 2021-22.

With Sonne on the sidelines, CSUN won 12 games in 2022 and finished with a No. 24 national ranking. The Matadors also won two games against top-25 opponents. Three Matadors earned All-American honors for the season, tying a school record for a single season while Dorottya Telek was named to the All-Big West First Team.

Originally from Laguna Beach, Sonne joins the Matadors after a stint with the 18-U girls assistant coach with SET Water Polo Club in El Toro, Calif. During her time with the team, Sonne helped SET win the 2021 U.S. Club Championship as well as post fourth and fifth-place finishes at the Junior Olympics. She also helped execute practices, game preparation and travel for top 18-U competition.

Sonne also worked as an assistant coach at Laguna Beach High School as an assistant coach for the girls team in 2021.

As a collegiate player, Sonne lettered four seasons with the California Bears from 2017-21. Sonne scored 61 career goals as a utility player with the Bears. She tallied a career-high 25 goals to go with 19 assists in just 18 games in the shortened 2020 season. For her efforts, Sonne earned ACWPC All-American Third Team and All-MPSF Honorable Mention accolades in 2020. Cal would advance to the NCAA Tournament semifinals in 2018 and 2019 while Sonne was with the program.

On the academic side, Sonne was named to the ACWPC All-Academic Team four straight seasons. Sonne earned outstanding recognition each season by the ACWPC, which was the highest academic honor handed out by the association. In addition, Sonne was a three-time MPSF All-Academic honoree.

Sonne represented her country in 2019 as a member of the U.S. National Women's Water Polo Team at the World University Games in Naples, Italy. She served as the team's co-captain that summer and would also be named as an alternate for Team USA at the 2019 Junior World Championships.

Sonne prepped at Laguna Beach High School where she served as team captain and led the team to the 2017 CIF Division I championship as a senior. She also earned All-CIF Second Team and All-Orange Coast League First Team honors.

Sonne received her bachelor's degree in Gender and Women's Studies from the University of California, Berkeley in May 2021.