June 22, 2015 Huntington Beach, Calif. - June 22, 2015-- USA Water Polo National Team Head Coaches Adam Krikorian (Women) and Dejan Udovicic (Men) have announced the rosters for the upcoming 2015 Pan American Games taking place this July in Toronto, Canada. Both teams won gold at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico and will look to defend their crown come the start of competition on July 7.
For the USA Men this event will also serve as one of three qualifying opportunities in 2015 for the 2016 Olympic Games. A gold medal at the Pan Ams, the 2015 FINA World League Super Final, or a top three finish at the 2015 FINA World Championships can clinch an Olympic berth for the USA Men. Normally a qualifier for the USA Women as well, that will not be the case in 2015 with Brazil, a Pan American participant, hosting next year's Olympic Games.
The U.S. Pan American Men's Water Polo Team is anchored by four-time Olympian Tony Azevedo (Long Beach, CA/Stanford/NYAC) along with fellow returning Olympians Jesse Smith (Coronado, CA/Pepperdine/NYAC), Merrill Moses (Palos Verdes, CA/Pepperdine/NYAC), and John Mann (Newport Beach, CA/California/NYAC). The USA Men are slotted in Group A with Ecuador, Cuba, and Argentina.
The U.S. Pan American Women's Water Polo Team features four athletes from the team that won gold at the 2012 Olympic Games. Kami Craig (Santa Barbara, CA/USC/Santa Barbara), Courtney Mathewson (Anaheim Hills, CA/UCLA/NYAC), Melissa Seidemann (Walnut Creek, CA/Stanford/Stanford) and Maggie Steffens (Danville, CA/Stanford/Diablo). Team USA set a Guinness Book World Record in their last Pan American Games appearance, when they set the mark for most shootout rounds in a water polo match with 20, in a shootout victory over Canada to claim the gold medal. The USA Women are slotted in Group A with Mexico, Cuba, and Argentina.
For more information on the Pan American Games, visit the official website at Toronto2015.org.
2015 U.S. Pan American Women's Water Polo Team
GK - Sami Hill (Santa Barbara, CA/UCLA/Santa Barbara)
GK - Ashleigh Johnson (Miami, FL/Princeton/Miami Riptides)
C - Kami Craig (Santa Barbara, CA/USC/Santa Barbara)
C - Ashley Grossman (Santa Monica, CA/Stanford/LA Water Polo)
D - KK Clark (Menlo Park, CA/UCLA/NYAC)
D - Melissa Seidemann (Walnut Creek, CA/Stanford/Stanford)
D - Makenzie Fischer (Laguna Beach, CA/Laguna Beach HS/SET)
A - Rachel Fattal (Seal Beach, CA/UCLA/SOCAL)
A - Kaleigh Gilchrist (Newport Beach, CA/USC/Trojan)
A - Courtney Mathewson (Anaheim Hills, CA/UCLA/NYAC)
A - Maddie Musselman (Newport Beach, CA/Corona del Mar HS/CdM Aquatics)
A - Kiley Neushul (Goleta, CA/Stanford/Santa Barbara)
A - Maggie Steffens (Danville, CA/Stanford/Diablo)
Head Coach: Adam Krikorian
Asst. Coaches: Dan Klatt, Chris Oeding
Team Manager: Jen Adams
2015 U.S. Pan American Men's Water Polo Team
GK - Merrill Moses (Palos Verdes, CA/Pepperdine/NYAC)
GK - McQuin Baron (North Tustin, CA/USC/United)
C - John Mann (Newport Beach, CA/California/NYAC)
C - Alex Obert (Loomis, CA/Pacific/Sac Polo)
D - Jesse Smith (Coronado, CA/Pepperdine/NYAC)
D - Jackson Kimbell (Long Beach, CA/Stanford/Newport)
D - Alex Roelse (Maarssen, Netherlands/UCLA/Bruin)
A - Josh Samuels (Villa Park, CA/UCLA/NYAC)
A - Alex Bowen (Santee, CA/Stanford/NYAC)
A - Luca Cupido (Newport Beach, CA/California/Newport)
A - Tony Azevedo (Long Beach, CA/Stanford/NYAC)
A - Bret Bonanni (Huntington Beach, CA/Stanford/Stanford)
A - Nikola Vavic (Palos Verdes, CA/USC/Trojan)
Note: Connor Virjee withdrew from the Pan Am Games prior to competition and was replaced by Nikola Vavic. Virjee remains in the National Team training pool.
Head Coach: Dejan Udovicic
Asst. Coaches: Jack Kocur and Alex Rodriguez
Team Leader: Rick McKee
About USA Water Polo
USA Water Polo, Inc. is the national governing body for water polo in America, overseeing our United States Olympic program as well as 20 different championship events annually, such as Junior Olympics and Masters National Championships. With more than 40,000 members, USAWP is also the sanctioning authority for more than 500 Member Clubs and more than 400 tournaments nationwide. USAWP is committed to the development of the sport throughout the US. It fosters grass-roots expansion of the sport, providing a national system of affiliated clubs, certified coaches and officials.
