Brown University Hall of Fame Inductee Kiera Heggie ’04 Shares Deep Bond With Current Director of Water Polo Felix Mercado
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – On Saturday, October 19, Brown University women’s water polo will see Kiera Heggie ’04 inducted into the Brown Hall of Fame as the first women’s water polo inductee. Heggie was a member of the 2001 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Championship and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament teams that finished in fourth place. She was also a member of the 2003 CWPA Championship runner-up team.
Heggie was named First Team All-Conference three times and Second Team once. She was also a two-time Honorable Mention All-America selection and is third all-time in saves with 776.
Brown Director of Water Polo Felix Mercado will be on hand for Heggie’s induction. While Mercado was not her head coach during her playing years at Brown, Heggie, and Mercado’s relationship began years before either stepped foot on College Hill.
Heggie and Mercado first crossed paths in Miami, Fla., where Mercado served as the head coach for Ransom Everglades, and Heggie attended Gulliver Prep, the rival high school. To improve her goalie skills, Heggie joined Mercado’s club team, Raider.
“He eventually became my club coach and worked with the goalies as he was previously a goalie himself,” said Heggie. “His support of me as a goalie was exciting as I just wanted to get better at my role in the team.”
“She started playing club for me in eighth grade, and because I was the goalie coach, I worked with her a lot,” said Mercado. “We developed a great relationship; she is one of my favorite people. I was super excited when she went to Brown at the time.”
After Heggie chose to come to Brown, Mercado continued to play a role in Heggie’s development and also lent a hand to the Brown program.
“While Felix started as the head coach of my rival team, he became an essential coach to me in my life,” said Heggie. “He opened up his school’s pool to my Brown team so we could practice when we went down there for spring break. He showed me that rivalries only run so deep and that the power of women’s sports and community is how you teach young women to work together towards a common goal.”
“Because of my relationship with Keira, her head coach at the time, Todd Clapper, would reach out to me at times,” said Mercado. “Keira beats to her own drum, making her amazing and a good goalie.”
Being honored as the first women’s water polo inductee is an honor for Heggie, but she knows she did not get there alone.
“This honor showcases the amazing women I played with at Brown. Our accomplishments took the entire team, players’ families, and all the supporters who believed in us. I was only one part of a bigger picture, and it is remarkable to see how far the program has come in the past twenty years,” said Heggie. “It is an honor to be the first female water polo player at Brown to be named a Hall of Famer, and I am so excited to see who is next because there are some amazing current and former players that, through their extremely hard work and dedication, absolutely deserve this honor as well.”
“Seeing her inducted into the Hall of Fame is almost surreal. I am so proud of her, and knowing I was part of the beginning and being part of this thing is amazing. There is no question she deserves this,” said Mercado.
Release courtesy Brown University Athletics Communications
