French, Anderson win Brandon West Athlete Scholarship Award

Last Friday, former varsity water polo captains George French and Sierra Anderson received the prestigious Brandon West Athlete Scholarship Award at the Senior Class Awards ceremony.

Named in honor of former Bellevue High student-athlete Brandon West, the award is given to one senior male athlete and one senior female athlete for their academic efforts, athletic achievements and community involvement. In addition to being recognized in front of the entire student body, award recipients receive a $3,000 college scholarship.

French, a three-year varsity letter winner, served as 2013 co-captain of the boys team. A two-year starter, he earned First-Team All-State honors in 2012 and 2013, team MVP honors in 2012, and USAWP Academic All-American honors in 2013. He was a key member of the BHS Swim Team, helping the Wolverines set a Washington State record in the 200 medley relay in an automatic All-American time of 1:34.09 and placing 6th in the 50 free and 9th in the 100 free as a senior. He was also a member of the BHS varsity soccer team. French will play D1 water polo at Cal Lutheran next fall.

Anderson, a two-year varsity letter winner, served as 2013 and 2014 captain of the girls team. A two-year starter, she earned Honorable-Mention All-State honors in 2014 after guiding the Wolverines to their first state appearance since the program folded in 2006. She also earned USAWP Academic All-American honors in 2013. More important than her performance in the pool were her contributions out of it. She was one of three students that restarted the girls water polo program during the fall of 2013 and cultivated a close-knit team-first environment. Anderson will play club water polo at the University of Washington next fall.

Congratulations to George and Sierra. The entire Bellevue Water Polo community is proud of you and wishes you nothing but the best in college!