Patty Cardenas

Patricia Cardenas (born August 19, 1984) is an American water polo player. She played for Bell Gardens High School, Golden West College, University of Southern California, and the United States national water polo team. She won a silver medal with the U.S. at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

High school
Cardenas attended Bell Gardens High School, where she played water polo for four years and won four CIF Division III championships. She was a first team All-American three times.

College
Cardenas played water polo for Golden West College. In 2002, the team won the state championship, and Cardenas was named the California Community College MVP.

Cardenas later transferred to the University of Southern California. In 2006, her first season with the Trojans, she ranked third on the team with 40 goals. She was an All-American honorable mention. She took a leave of absence from USC to train with the national team.

International
Cardenas made the U.S. senior national team after attending open tryouts in 2006. In 2007, she scored four goals in the FINA World Championships, four goals in the FINA World League Super Final, and three goals in the Pan American Games; the U.S. finished first in all three tournaments. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Cardenas scored two goals, helping the U.S. win the silver medal.

Personal
Cardenas was born in Commerce, California. She is 5 ft tall. She has two brothers and her family is of Mexican descent.