CCCWPCA Featured Athletes September 29: Payton Harp and Elaina Hernandez

Under head coach Jordan Gordon, Crafton Hills College women's water polo has forged an ascendant path the past two seasons. The Roadrunners were 15-10 with a Pacific Coast Athletic Conference Tournament championship last year. They are 7-6 in 2026 heading into Wednesday's PCAC opener at No. 9 San Diego Miramar. Major reasons for this ascendancy are attacker Payton Harp and goalkeeper Elaina Hernandez.

Harp, a freshman from nearby Yucaipa High School, is the offensive leader for the Roadrunners. She has netted 41 goals, connecting on 46.6% of her shots, along with 21 assists, 41 steals, and 33 drawn exclusions. Harp has logged five four-goal games and found the back of the cage a season-high six times in a 12-5 over Chaffey on September 26.

"Payton has quickly risen to the challenge as a freshman for our team," Gordon said. "She leads in just about every positive stat for us and gives her all in every game. She is an integral part of our program and is a very smart, consistent player."

Hernandez has started every game in the cage for the Roadrunners. The first-year keeper from Rancho Cucamonga High School has a 6-6 record with 124 saves (51-5%). She stopped 11 shots in a 10-8 season-opening win against Ventura and made seven saves in an 11-10 victory at Mt. San Antonio on September 26.  

According to Gordon, "Elaina is a natural athlete. She has only played goalie for a few years, but she reads shots well and has the competitive nature required of a strong goalie. I believe she has a lot of potential to be even better than she already is."