ORANGE, Calif.—Waltz across the Allred Aquatics Center on any given late afternoon, one will more than likely find a rather unassuming water polo player running about. From taking statistics at all the men's water polo games, to being team DJ before each practice, to busting her coach's chops before tournaments, Zoey Francis does it all. 

Put the goalkeeper inside the water on a game day, she becomes the most dominant assuming competitor in the pool. Francis transferred into Chapman from Los Angeles Valley College, and immediately took over the SCIAC. In 2025, she set the single game Chapman program record for most saves in a game with 23. She also led the conference in total saves with 240 and was named to the All-SCIAC Second Team. 

"I knew all the records before going in: for most saves in a game, season, career," Francis said. "I knew I wanted to break as many as I could."

Francis has also made history outside the water simply because of who she is and who she represents, especially during Black History Month. She is a half Dominican, half Jamaican student athlete who hailed from a junior college program and only played two months of club water polo before ending up at the NCAA level. The sport is dominated by young athletes joining elite programs to get recruited in high school. Francis flew under the radar, but never let it stop her.

"There haven't ever really been black people in the sport, from what I remember at my JUCO, there weren't any," Francis says. "I think it was just my brother (Ethan) and I." 

Francis is the middle child of five, all four siblings being brothers. Her mother and brother Ethan are the reason she fell into the sport in the first place. Francis' mother signed her and her brother up for swim team, in part to find ways to keep them busy, and fuel their competitive fire. But, when the family signed up for swim team, she started gravitating towards water polo. She was a talented swimmer, but didn't exactly enjoy it. 

"I saw the goalies didn't have to swim and I didn't want to swim, so I immediately stuck to the goal," Francis remembered fondly. 

Suffice it to say that decision worked out well. When Francis ended up at LA Valley College, she met her brother's teammate and soon-to-be Chapman classmate: Sahak Abrahamyan. 

 Abrahamyan had also just transferred to the university from the same junior college as Francis. He played at LA Valley alongside Francis' brother, and all three ended up in the same friend group. Abrahamyan eventually helped convince Francis to join him down in Orange. 

When Francis began her recruitment in 2023-24, she reached out to Chapman head coach Eric Ploessel expressing interest in becoming a Panther. Abrahamyan knew then, that Francis could be the missing piece to a historic puzzle. Abrahamyan, Francis, her brother and Ploessel all toured the campus together on her official visit. That solidified her decision.

"I am happy that I helped bring her here in whatever capacity whether it was large or small," Abrahamyam said. "Zoey and I are best friends now. She didn't know anybody when she came into Chapman, so I always made sure to include her. We got so close through those first few months."

Barrier Breaker

Ploessel has been coaching at Chapman since 2004 and his wife is 100 percent Belizian. Since Ploessel married a black woman, he now has a daughter who is mixed half black and half white. His family dynamic makes him even more conscientious of the impact young women like Francis can have on the sport. When Francis was working out in the water shortly after arriving on campus, his daughter noticed the new goalkeeper. She turned to her dad because she saw Francis' darker skin and how dominant she was. 

"When my daughter saw her for the first time," Ploessel recalled. "She was like 'oh she's on your team?'" 

Ploessel proudly nodded his head in response and knew: his daughter was having a see her, be her moment. Something he believes others could be having watching his All-SCIAC goalie each game. Ploessel doesn't take for granted the player-coach relationship he's built. 

"She and I just have such a special and close relationship. Even in the offseason, we would chat every day," Ploessel says. "She is just the ultimate competitor. She wants to play and wants to win so badly."

In 2025, that bond carried the Panthers to a SCIAC Tournament bid, and an 8-4 finish in conference. Francis also averaged over 11 saves per game.

See Her, Be Her 

Francis gained that competitive edge and had her own see her, be her moment growing up watching the United States Women's water polo team starting goalkeeper Ashleigh Johnson. She is a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and three-time Olympian, and has been the senior national team's starting goalkeeper since she joined the team in 2014. She is also 100 percent Jamaican and the first black woman to represent the United States at the Olympics in water polo. Francis has idolized Johnson since she first picked up the hard rubber yellow ball. 

"She is just so good. She's just so long and dedicated," Francis said. "She is also black which is so cool because she is on Team USA."

Francis' childhood hero also has four siblings, and the two crossed paths in Summer 2025. When Chapman was hosting a Junior Olympics tournament on campus, Francis was at a table score keeping. Johnson was on deck to watch her former club team out of Florida play. When Francis noticed Johnson walking across her home pool deck, she almost shied away from going up to introduce herself. Luckily, she persevered.

"I met her and I didn't know what to say, I just cried," Francis recalls. "It just like… PERIOD."

Despite being lost for words, the impact was eternally felt. Francis had a literal see her, be her moment.

Representation in water polo matters, specifically because aquatic sports are some of the most inaccessible for communities of color. This is in part why Johnson and USA Water Polo take so much pride in helping the sport grow with the next generation. When asked about Francis, Johnson made one thing clear. 

"Zoey is apart of our future," Johnson said. "It is so special to me because that's whole point. We as athletes are able to connect in our identity. Water polo is something that connects us. It is so special that she can look up to us."

One way Johnson says she connects with other black athletes in aquatics, is by discussing how they maintain their hair throughout the season. She says that she and Francis discussed it as well. Francis says she often braids her hair into miracle knots for the duration of play. In part, because it is the easiest to maintain throughout roughly 25-30 games each year. Another byproduct of a more inclusive sport, is more conversations about hair care in a sport determined by people jumping into water filled with chlorine chemicals. 

"Anytime I see someone in my sport with my hair texture, that is my first question: who is your braider," Johnson said. "Do you have a natural hair care routine? Having someone like that is an absolute game changer. It takes one thing off your plate that might not be on every single person's mind."

Francis has also made it clear that her competitive fire is roaring. In part, fueled by her interactions with Johnson and her team's potential for the 2026 season. 

"I love the level of competitiveness," Francis said. "I love being in a program where people want to win as much as I do." 

Francis' impact, leadership and talent can be felt as she helps mold a team that is leaving its mark nationally and she continues making her own history. Not just during Black History Month, but everyday, Johnson describes what Francis represents.

"Being a part of that team makes you truly feel like you belong somewhere," Johnson said. "I hope the people coming up who see Zoey, who may join the sport later in life, see that we all belong in this sport."