Please join us at Clovis Community College Herndon Campus in Clovis, California for our October Monthly Luncheon with guest speaker Natalie Benson. Natalie Benson is the Head Coach of Women’s Water Polo at Fresno State, a role she’s held since the program’s inception in 2018. A decorated former player, she competed in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics for Team USA, earning bronze and silver medals respectively, and was inducted into the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame. Under her leadership, the Bulldogs have won multiple Golden Coast Conference championships, and she has been honored as GCC Coach of the Year several times.
**Members and future members welcome**
AGENDA:
11:30am – 12:00pm: Check-in, Relationship Building, Get Your Lunch
12:00pm - 1:00pm: Program with Guest Speaker
Lunch Menu:
Penne pasta with white sauce and sliced chicken, eggplant parmigiana, beef ravioli, salad, dessert and iced tea or water
Members: Lunch – $18.00
Members: No Lunch – $0.00
Future-Members: Lunch – $25.00
Future-Members: No Lunch – $5.00
(All payments must be paid online. If an error occurs when paying please clear your cookies and manually type in credit card information)
Please register online by Sunday, October 26th*
*No-shows or cancellations made after that date will still be responsible for the lunch payment.
Speaker Bio:
Natalie Benson is no stranger to the pool deck and college campus. Natalie first made her mark as a water polo player at UCLA where she led the Bruins to three NCAA titles and earned the Peter J. Cutino Award as the nation’s top player. She went on to become a two-time Olympian with Team USA, winning a bronze medal in 2004 and a silver in 2008, while also capturing multiple World Championship golds. Her achievements earned her induction into both the UCLA Hall of Fame and the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame.
Transitioning into coaching, Benson began as an undergraduate assistant at UCLA before leading Huntington Beach Water Polo Club to national success, including a Junior Olympics gold in 2011. She later served as head coach of the USA Women’s Cadet National Team, guiding them to a Pan American Youth Championship gold medal in 2013, and coached with the Junior National Team at World Championships in 2015 and 2017.
At the collegiate level, Benson took her first head coaching role at Marist College, where she earned two MAAC Coach of the Year honors while compiling a 56-49 record and mentoring multiple all-conference student-athletes.
In 2016, she was named the first head coach in Fresno State water polo history, guiding the Bulldogs from their inaugural season in 2018. Since then, under her leadership, Fresno State has posted a 100-71 record and won four consecutive Golden Coast Conference championships (2021–24).
Today, Benson is regarded as one of water polo’s most impactful leaders, having transformed from world-class player to championship coach at both the collegiate and international levels. And continues to do the same with athletes today.
She is married to Eric, and has two daughers, Elise and Claire.
Thank you to our sponsors Wonder Valley Ranch and Clovis Community College. Because of partners like them, 100% of ticket sales go directly to supporting women through education!Lunch Sponsor: Wonder Valley Ranch
Lunch Sponsor: Wonder Valley Ranch
Location Sponsor: Clovis Community College
Thank you to our generous Location Sponsor, Clovis Community College. Their ongoing support makes our monthly lunches possible. We deeply appreciate their commitment to creating space for women to connect, grow, and thrive in business
Have questions or want to learn how you can sponsor one of our events? We’d love to hear from you—reach out to us at info@fcwcc.org
