STANFORD, Calif. – For the second consecutive major international tournament the United States roster will be mainly comprised of Cardinal. Eight Stanford players – past, current and future – were selected to represent the U.S. at the FINA World Championships starting this Sunday in Budapest, Hungary.
Five are alumnae in Jamie Neushul, Kiley Neushul, Melissa Seidemann, Maggie Steffens and Gabby Stone, two are current undergraduates in Makenzie Fischer and Jordan Raney and one is an incoming freshman in Aria Fischer. Three players from UCLA and two from USC fill out the remaining spots on the 13-member squad.
Team USA opens play in Budapest on Sunday when it meets South Africa at 5:30 a.m. PT. It continues through group play with matches against Spain and New Zealand before the knockout stage begins on July 22. Medals will be awarded on July 28. The USA is the only women's team to win four FINA World Championships (2003, 2007, 2009, 2015) and currently holds every major FINA Championship.
This contingent of eight Cardinal led the United States to gold at the FINA World League Super Final in Shanghai last month. Fischer was named the tournament's most valuable player and Kiley Neushul was voted to the media all-star team.
Kiley Neushul led the U.S. with 13 goals in six games, including four in a 13-4 quarterfinal win over Australia. Fischer tied for second on the team in scoring with eight goals and had a hat trick to close out group play against Russia. Steffens added seven goals, Jamie Neushul, Raney and Seidemann each scored five and Aria Fischer added four.
Gabby Stone made 37 total saves in four appearances in the cage. She played each of Team USA's elimination games and made 10 saves against Australia in the quarterfinals, 10 against Hungary in the semifinals and nine against Canada in the final.
Steffens and Seidemann are the only two-time Olympic champions on the roster. Kiley Neushul and Makenzie Fischer won gold with the United States at the 2015 FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia. This year will be the first world championship competition for Aria Fischer, Jamie Neushul, Raney and Stone.