Editor’s Note: Next week, Swimming World will begin it’s coverage of the 2018 NCAA women’s water polo season. Stay tuned for more in-depth coverage of the sport.
For the fourth straight year—and eighth in the last nine years—the Stanford women’s water polo team was picked first in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Women’s Water Polo Preseason Coaches’ poll. The Cardinal, who have captured NCAA titles in five of the past seven years, are about as good a bet for success as there is in the sport. Head Coach John Tanner’s squad has advanced to the NCAA Women’s Water Polo Tournament Championship match the past eight years.
The MPSF is by far the best women’s water polo conference in the country. In the 22-year existence of a national championship, no other conference has ever claimed the title, and only once — in 2004, when USC beat Loyola Marymount 10-8 —has a non-MPSF team played in the title game.
In last year’s finals, Stanford beat UCLA 8-7 on a last second goal by senior Maggie Steffens. That win—the Cardinal’s third championship earned at the Bruins’ expense the past four years—closed the books on a couple of key participants. Steffens has now graduated and will play professionally in Hungary for UVSE.
Brandon Brooks, who helmed UCLA to NCAA finals in 2014, 2015 and 2017, resigned last May. Brooks was replaced by Adam Wright, who steered the Bruins’ men’s team to an NCAA title last December.
Fear not for Tanner; three of his current players— Makenzie Fischer, Aria Fischer and Jordan Raney — were on the roster of the U.S. Women’s Senior National Team that captured gold at the 2017 FINA World Championships.
Finishing second in the voting by MPSF head coaches was Cal, helmed by Coralee Simmons. Now in her second year, Simmon’s team returns three All-Americans— Dora Antal, Anna Illes and Emma Wright — and comes off a strong showing at the 2017 MPSF tournament where the Golden Bears pushed #1 UCLA to the limit before falling 9-8.
Tied for third is USC, which must deal with an exodus of talent, including the Haralabidis twins (Ioanna and Stephania), and All-American Brigitta Games, and Wright’s UCLA squad, which also lost three All-Americans; Rachel Fattal, Kodi Hill, Alys Williams. Trojan Head Coach Jovan Vavic returns All-American Brianna Daboub and Maud Megens as well as goalies Amanda Longan and Victória Chamorro.
Returning Bruins include Maggie Musselman, perhaps the most heralded sophomore in the country, and goalie Carlee Kapana. Both are members of Team USA; Musselman was named MVP at last year’s World Championship.
Arizona State came in fifth; the Sun Devils have a tall order in looking to leapfrog at least two schools to return to NCAAs for the first time since 2016. Luckily, Head Coach Todd Clapper can structure his offense around Lena Mihailovic, their prolific scorer, and his defense behind goalie Mia Rycraw.
Pulling up the poll’s rear was San Jose State. Gabor Sarusi’s squad will look to improve on a 10-19 finish (1-5 MPSF) in 2017 by winning more than one match in conference play. Given that CSU Bakersfield, the Spartan’s sole victim last season, has eliminated women’s water polo, they will be hard pressed to achieve that. But they do return their top scorer, Honorable Mention All-MPSF selection Klaudia Paradi (23 goals).