Long Beach State’s Coriann Snyder overcomes loss to lead 49ers

Coriann Snyder stood locked in an embrace with head coach Gavin Arroyo minutes before the start of the 49ers’ game against UC Santa Barbara.

It was senior day, a day filled with emotion, and one that held special meaning for Snyder. The day was one to commemorate a family and a team that had become particularly close over the last two years.

Tragedy struck 15 months earlier when she lost her mom, Christine. Although she had been sick for some time, it was a loss that Coriann could never be entirely prepared for.
Prior to the beginning of the 2013 season, the women’s water polo team had been participating in preseason workouts when she received a phone call from her sister.

Snyder received the news and was told to make her way home right away. Her support system came to her aid immediately.

She called teammate and close friend Chelsea Parks to tell her what had happened. Parks took control of the situation by making the four-hour drive to Porterville, Calif., to reunite Snyder with her family.

“We got into the car and I said ‘Who is it?’ She said her mom, and I was completely flabbergasted,” Parks said. “I had to focus on driving. There were all these dark roads in the middle of the night. It was a lot of trying to listen to her. There’s really nothing to say at that point. Nothing’s going to comfort the loss of a parent.”

Days later, Snyder received a surprise when the entire team showed up to the funeral. The love and support of her teammates continued when they returned to campus.

“They were all here when I got back. They had left notes in my locker and had made funny posters,” Snyder said appreciatively. “They just kind of found a way to lift me up, and I think in doing that they lifted each other up.”

Snyder expressed gratitude for the help that she received in her time of need. She called her sister a calming influence in the wake of the crisis. She referred to her dad as the strongest person she knows.
Perhaps the strength of her family is exactly what has driven the LBSU standout to this day. From day one, Snyder has been a model of consistency in the pool and in the classroom.
She scored 25 goals as a freshman. That count rose to 39 in each of the next two years. As a senior, Snyder has eclipsed that mark with 48 regular season goals to lead The Beach.

Snyder’s parents preached the importance of academics to her. It was a philosophy that Snyder took to heart. She recently earned honors as Long Beach State’s Female Scholar Athlete of the Year and is also a President’s Scholar.

As the valedictorian of her class at Porterville High School, Snyder had her pick of schools that she could have attended. She said she chose LBSU because she wanted to play water polo.

The team became her extended family. She gave many thanks to her supporters in her prepared piece at senior day, during which she remembered her mom by saying, “I know she’s watching from the best seat in the house.”

Snyder has honored her mom by trying to live by her example. Both of her parents were art teachers. As a liberal studies major, she has pursued a life of helping others by preparing for a teaching career.

“In everything that I do, I see her,” she said. “I see what she’s taught me. Even though people leave us physically, they’re still here in spirit. They live on through us and the things that we do.”