Courtesy: USA Water Polo
IRVINE, Calif. – USA Water Polo Women’s Junior National Team Head Coach Natalie Benson has announced the 13-athlete roster that will represent Team USA at the upcoming FINA Women’s Junior World Championship this September 9-15 in Funchal, Portugal.
A complete competition schedule will be made available in the coming weeks with live streaming expected at subscription service FINATV.live. Team USA has been slotted second in Group A, joined by Hungary, Australia and Japan. Visit USAWaterPolo.org for complete results from the USA matches, for more information click here to visit the FINA homepage for the Junior World Championship. Prior to the start of competition, Team USA will take part in a week of common training in Barcelona, Spain with the Spanish Women’s Junior National Team.
Team USA will look to improve upon a fifth place finish at the 2017 FINA Junior World Championship and this year’s team brings back six returners from that 2017 squad including Ryann Neushul, Ava Johnson, Abbi Hill, Bayley Weber, Valerie Ayala and Sarah Klass. Neushul, Jewel Roemer and Honnie Vandeweghe-O’Shea were part of a first place effort the beach water polo championship at the FINA World Championship earlier this summer in Gwangju, South Korea while Jenna Flynn is coming off an MVP effort at the UANA Youth Pan American Championship in Trinidad & Tobago where Team USA won gold.
2019 FINA Women’s Junior World Championship USA Roster (USAWP Club/USAWP Zone/School)
Ryann Neushul – A (Santa Barbara 805/Coastal/Stanford)
Jewel Roemer – A (680 Water Polo/Pacific/Acalanes HS)
Roxy Wheaton – A (680 Water Polo/Pacific/UCLA)
Valerie Ayala – A (Bruin/Coastal/UCLA)
Sarah Klass – A (Stanford WPF/Pacific/Stanford)
Honnie Vandeweghe-O’Shea – A (SET/SoPac/Santa Margarita HS)
Jenna Flynn – A (680 Water Polo/Pacific/Leland HS)
Abbi Hill – D (Santa Barbara 805/Coastal/UCLA)
Bayley Weber – D (SET/SoPac/USC)
Noelle Wijnbelt – C (SOCAL/SoPac/UC Davis)
Ava Johnson – C (Bruin/Coastal/UCLA)
Georgia Phillips – GK (Bruin/Coastal/UCLA)
Isabel Williams – GK (Rose Bowl/Coastal/)
Alternates:
Hannah Constandse – A (SET/SoPac/Stanford)
Claire Sonne – A (CAL Bears Water Polo/Pacific/California)
Katrina Drake – A (Bruin/Coastal/UCLA)
Head Coach – Natalie Benson
Assistant Coach – Coralie Simmons
Assistant Coach – Molly Cahill
Team Manager – Andrew Silva
