Water Polo Australia is pleased to confirm the Australian team for the U18 Women’s Water Polo World Championships.
Set to be held in Puerto de la Cruz, Spain from 16-23 August, WPA has selected a 14-strong team of athletes from across the country.
U18 Women’s Head Coach Fabio Pavanello offered his congratulations to those selected, and said he’s looking forward to the next few months of work in preparation for the World Championships.
“We’re really excited about this team – there was a depth of talent in this squad and there has been for the last few months. So it’s been really challenging, and the girls have really stood up in different camps and tournaments to show what they’ve got,” Pavanello said.
“It’s been a hard process to knuckle down the final spots, but we’re excited with the team that we’ve got and for the future ahead for this group.
“We will have a couple of preparation camps, in Sydney and at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra. Those will be about getting together, preparing and focusing before the tour to the World Championships. And we’ll do that in alignment with some of the Women’s Development Squad players, so we can really give ourselves the best chance of being prepared,” she said.
Pavanello will be supported by Assistant Coach Jemma Semmens, who said selection moments like this are always special.
“Any international opportunity is fabulous, and we’ve got a great group of young women so we’re really excited to see them take the opportunity and run with it,” Semmens said.
At the World Championships, both in and out the water, we’re really excited to see what they can achieve,” she said.
Water Polo Australia would like to congratulate the following athletes on their selection:
Ali McCarthy (Polo Bears/Thunder, QLD)
Abigail Oates (Sydney Uni, NSW)
Alannah Paul (SNB/Drummoyne, NSW)
Amelie Hoefel (Mermaids/Thunder, QLD)
Bless Daly (Polo Bears, QLD)
Caroline Healy (Collegians/Phoenix, VIC)
Claudia Booth (Polo Bears/Thunder, QLD)
Emmersen McEwen (Polo Bears/Thunder, QLD)
Evelyn O’Neill (Balmain, NSW)
Isabelle O’Connor (Mermaids, QLD)
Kiera Mironova (Sydney Uni, NSW)
Sara Connors (UQ/Thunder, QLD)
Sienna Walker (Melville, WA)
Zara Cooke (SNB, NSW)
Reserves
Emily Broadbent (Balmain, NSW)
Harlei Kricak (SNB, NSW)
Lucy Burchard (Richmond/Phoenix, VIC)
Lucy Stuart (Mermaids, QLD)
