So as an underclassman, she carpooled with her teammates to practices, competitions and home games, sharing the pool facilities at Willow Glen High School and Bellarmine College Preparatory. As a junior her role switched and she did the driving.

Now in her last year at Presentation, it's all changed. McKenzie and her teammates are practicing in a brand-new swimming pool on campus.

"Having the pool on campus has made everything easier for me," McKenzie says. "I get to stay on campus after school, go to my club meetings and then go to water polo practice without the hassle of driving back and forth."

The aquatics facility, which opened on Aug. 21, is the final project in the second phase of the school's $20 million 10-year capital campaign. The aquatics facility portion of the project cost $2.6 million. Over the last three years, along with the swimming pool, the school has added a theater and athletics field to its campus.

"Three years ago, the school asked Melissa Watts, the swim coach and myself to come up with what we wanted out of a pool," water polo coach Tim Outtrim says. "I feel so privileged to have been part of the pool's design team."

Outtrim, who has seen many different pools managed and has years of experience in pool maintenance, calls the new facility "fantastic."

He has coached the Presentation water polo teams for the last six years and is the head of the water polo program. The new facility has definitely made a difference in the water polo team's performance, helping to elevate the team's CCS standing from 12th to 4th this year.

"When we rented pools to practice in, we shared space," Outtrim says. "For the last two years we practiced at Willow Glen High School and only had from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. We weren't allowed to practice in the mornings because of parking issues."

Safety was another factor that affected practice. The parents and staff were concerned about the girls driving to off-campus pools early in the morning or late at night.

"Because Presentation is so highly academically based, the school wanted to the team to be able to practice on campus so they could spent more time studying rather than driving," Outtrim says.

McKenzie says some of the girls drove from Gilroy and Santa Cruz and had to leave their homes very early and wouldn't get home until after dark.

"It was an unnecessary worry for us to make sure everyone got to practice or games," McKenzie says.

Outtrim says that in addition to the driving time, the pool where they practiced was small. The school had two teams practicing in the pool at the same time, creating a cramped environment, which ultimately affected the team's overall performance. The school has a junior varsity of 20-23 players and a varsity team with 16 to17 players.

"We had almost 40 girls and had to split the entire pool," he says.

This made conditioning and practice difficult.

McKenzie says the new pool has an added benefit—the water polo team has become popular with her classmates.

"They come and watch us practice or play against other teams at home games and are excited," she says. "They tell me they don't really know what's going on, but they like coming to cheer us on anyway."

Presentation Principal Mary Miller says she has seen the difference the pool has made for the water polo team.

"It was difficult and not enticing for the water polo fans to have people go out to Willow Glen High to watch games," Miller says. "And competing without the same facilities that other schools had, the school was putting the water polo team at both a physical and psychological disadvantage."

With the new facilities it has all changed, she says.

"Now, the girls leave campus and walk right past the pool on their way to their cars," Miller says. "It makes it easier for them to stay and cheer their peers on. It has increased both fan support and the team's spirit."

Having a pool on campus and longer hours to practice has also had an impact on the water polo team's season.

"The size of pool and the access we have to it has really made a difference," McKenzie says. "In the other pools, they had wall cages that were different from the ones I was used to playing with and it affected the way I shoot. This new pool has everything we need. This has been one of my best seasons at Presentation."

In addition to less stress about getting to practice, McKenzie says the new environment has affected the girls on an emotional level.

"Since we have more time to practice and condition, we spend more time together and have bonded," McKenzie says. "Becoming closer as a team has made our teamwork in the game better, and it shows."

Outtrim acknowledges the pool has made a "tremendous" difference but is quick to add he has a great team.

"I have between seven or eight girls who have been on the team since their freshman year," he says. "The added pool time has also been a godsend. The girls now have three morning practices a week for conditioning from 6-7:15 a.m. and then warm ups and practice from 3-5 p.m."

The new pool boasts 12 swim lanes and the use of an environmentally friendly energy source called cogenerational technology. This new technology has helped keep electrical costs down. The technology produces both energy and heat from a single power plant. The school will save $40,000 and will obtain another $45,000 through a PG&E rebate for using an efficient energy source. Without the technology the PG&E bill would have doubled from $100,000 to $200,000.

The cost of the cogenerational energy system was $200,000. It was funded by a donation made through a Presentation High School supporter, who wishes to remain anonymous.

With the addition of the aquaticss facility, Miller says the school now offers fitness swimming for both swimmers and water polo players in the off season and adult masters swim camps for the parents. The school also plans to provide swimming lessons during the summer.

"We have this pool year-round so we might as well put it to good use," Miller says.

"Our community really came together on this project," says water polo player Kelley Orgelia. "We sold bracelets to raise money and people donated the cages, the balls, everything we would need."

The families that donated to the school for the swimming pool are listed on a large sign hung from the building that houses the mechanics of the facility. The largest donor, the Berger family, is named at the top of the list.

Along the back, there are bricks that also commemorate donors with their names engraved in them.

"We no longer have to depend on others for a pool," water polo player Jenni Peters says.