{"id":620661,"date":"2025-08-10T10:30:16","date_gmt":"2025-08-10T17:30:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=620661"},"modified":"2025-08-10T10:30:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-10T17:30:16","slug":"the-top-american-womens-water-polo-players-of-the-ncaa-era-part-iii-no-10-no-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/the-top-american-womens-water-polo-players-of-the-ncaa-era-part-iii-no-10-no-1\/","title":{"rendered":"The Top American Women\u2019s Water Polo Players of the NCAA Era (Part III: No. 10-No. 1)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Top American Women\u2019s Water Polo Players of the NCAA Era (Part III: No. 10-No. 1)<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Jeff Moulton – Guest Editorial<\/p>\n

In the third and final installment of this three-part series, water polo historian Jeff Moulton discusses the individuals he has ranked Nos. 1 to 10 in his unofficial list of the top 25 American women\u2019s water polo players of the NCAA era.\u00a0 Parts I and II are linked below. Part I includes an explanation of the criteria Moulton used to make his selections.<\/p>\n

Part I (No. 21-No. 25)<\/a>
\nPart II (No. 20-No. 11)<\/a><\/p>\n

10. Kelly Rulon<\/strong> – attacker, University of San Diego High School and UCLA (4x NCAA champion, 4x All-American, 3x 1st team All-American, 1x Cutino Award winner, 2x ACWPC player of the year, 2x Olympian, 1x gold medalist, 1x bronze medalist, 1x FINA world champion, Hall of Fame).<\/p>\n

Rulon is UCLA\u2019s second all-time leading scorer with 237 goals.\u00a0 She played professionally in Italy.\u00a0 Doug Peabody, Rulon\u2019s coach at the San Diego Shores Water Polo Club, told me that Rulon \u201chad zero ego.\u00a0 She cared as much or more about the team and common goals than anyone.\u201d\u00a0 Adam Krikorian, Rulon\u2019s coach at UCLA and on the 2012 Olympic team, speaking with a reporter from The Daily Bruin<\/em> in 2007:\u00a0 \u201cKelly is a phenomenal player.\u00a0 One of the greatest to ever play here.\u00a0 The great thing about her is, as many goals as she scores, the most important thing is how the team does, and that\u2019s (how she wants to be known).\u201d\u00a0 Krikorian speaking with a reporter from The Voice of San Diego<\/em> in 2007:\u00a0\u00a0 \u201c(Kelly\u2019s) brilliant in every facet of the game, but what separates her from other great players is her intelligence and understanding of the game.\u00a0 She has great vision \u2014 the ability to see the entire pool \u2014 the same as a point guard in basketball or a running back in football.\u201d<\/p>\n

9. Kiley Neushul<\/strong> – attacker, Dos Pueblos High School and Stanford (3x NCAA champion, 4x All-American, 3x 1st team All-American, 2x Cutino Award winner, 1x ACWPC player of the year, 1x Olympian, 1x gold medalist, 3x FINA world champion, Hall of Fame).<\/p>\n

\"Kiley

Photo Courtesy: Pac 12<\/p><\/div>\n

Neushul scored 222 goals during her four years at Stanford.\u00a0 She played professionally for CN Sabadell in Barcelona, winning one European League championship and three Spanish League championships.\u00a0 Dos Pueblos High School coach Chris Parrish speaking with a reporter from The Santa Barbara Independent<\/em> in 2011:\u00a0 \u201c(Kiley is) the fiercest competitor I\u2019ve ever coached, boys or girls.\u00a0 She has that \u2018I refuse to lose\u2019 mentality.\u00a0 She sometimes passes up shots she should be taking.\u00a0 She doesn\u2019t want people to perceive her as a selfish player.\u00a0 But when a game has to be taken, when we need a goal to tie, a goal to win\u2014get her the ball.\u00a0 You rarely see someone of her caliber in any sport.\u00a0 Her pedigree and experience are greater than anybody\u2019s in high school.\u00a0 Physically, she\u2019s faster and stronger than they are.\u00a0 She\u2019s not bigger but she plays like the biggest (person) in the pool.\u201d\u00a0 Maggie Steffens, Neushul\u2019s teammate at Stanford and on the 2016 Olympic team, speaking with a reporter from The Santa Barbara Independent<\/em> in 2018:\u00a0 \u201cKiley is easily one of the best players in the world; she has such an intelligent mind.\u00a0 She\u2019s reading the game so much faster than anyone in the water, a step ahead of everyone else.\u201d\u00a0 Stanford coach John Tanner speaking with a reporter from Noozhawk<\/em> in 2024 after Neushul was inducted into the Water Polo Hall of Fame:\u00a0 \u201cI saw it countless times with club, high school and our college team where we\u2019d get to the end of the season and Kiley would explode and have her highest-producing games turn to goal scoring.\u00a0 It was something she could have done the whole season but she was mindful of managing the growth of the team the entire season.\u201d\u00a0 After Neushul announced her retirement from water polo before the 2021 Olympics, senior national team coach Adam Krikorian was asked how he would replace her.\u00a0 He said:\u00a0 \u201cIt’s impossible.\u00a0 She’s one of the best players ever to play the game, and we don’t have anyone like her.”<\/p>\n

8. Aria Fischer<\/strong> \u2013 center, Laguna Beach High School and Stanford (3x NCAA champion, 4x All-American, 3x 1st team All-American, 1x Cutino Award winner, 1x ACWPC player of the year, 2x Olympian, 2x gold medalist, 2x FINA world champion).<\/p>\n

Fischer played in the 2016 Olympics at 17, before her senior year at Laguna Beach High School.\u00a0 She scored 226 goals during her four years at Stanford.\u00a0 Now that her playing career is over, she will almost certainly be inducted into the Hall of Fame.\u00a0 Stanford coach John Tanner speaking about Aria and Mackenzie Fischer in May 2022 after they announced their retirement from the senior national team:\u00a0 “They’re both complete, all-around amazing players.\u00a0 They have the technical skills to play anywhere in the pool, play any position, and have the confidence to do that.”\u00a0 Adam Krikorian, Fischer\u2019s coach on the 2016 and 2021 Olympic teams, speaking with USA Water Polo in May 2025:\u00a0 \u201cWhat goes untold about Aria’s journey is just how much she immersed herself into the process of improvement.\u00a0 Not just the time and effort she put in, but the thought and intention in which she plotted out her path.\u00a0 Her rise from the youngest member on the 2016 Team to becoming one of the most dominant centers to play the game, was truly remarkable.\u00a0 The fiercest of competitors, she held each one of us to a competitive standard that kept us hungry and always striving for perfection.”<\/p>\n

7. Maddie Musselman<\/strong> Woepse <\/strong>– attacker, Corona del Mar High School and UCLA (4x 1st team All-American, 3x Olympian, 2x gold medalist, 5x FINA world champion).<\/p>\n

\"Maddie

Photo Courtesy: Andrea Staccioli \/ Deepbluemedia \/ Insidefoto<\/p><\/div>\n

Musselman, an exceptional swimmer, is UCLA\u2019s all-time leading scorer with 252 goals and has scored 43 goals in the Olympics.\u00a0 She was the most valuable player of the women\u2019s water polo tournament in the 2021 Olympics. \u00a0Newport Harbort High School coach Ross Sinclair, Musselman\u2019s coach at Corona del Mar High School for two years, speaking with a reporter from The Los Angeles Times<\/em> in 2016:\u00a0 \u201cMaddie\u2019s the best natural athlete that I\u2019ve ever seen, that I\u2019ve ever coached, that I\u2019ve ever played with.\u00a0 I think she (would have been) an Olympian in multiple sports, if she started playing that sport at an early level.\u00a0 And I don\u2019t think she\u2019s anywhere near her peak.\u201d\u00a0 Adam Krikorian, Musselman\u2019s coach on the 2016, 2021, and 2024 Olympic teams, speaking with a reporter after Musselman was named the World Aquatics female athlete of the year in 2022:\u00a0 \u201cDeservedly so.\u00a0 I thought she was clearly the best player in the world.\u00a0 Sometimes with awards you aren\u2019t sure if they are going to the right person.\u00a0 Our team won the gold, we were the best team, she was the best player.\u00a0 I think she is just scratching the surface, to be honest, and I am excited to see what happens going forward.\u201d\u00a0 I asked Adam Wright, Musselman\u2019s coach at UCLA, what make her a special player.\u00a0 His response:\u00a0 \u201cMaddie is truly a special player.\u00a0 If you watch the way she gracefully and effortlessly moves through the water with or without the ball you will quickly realize she is one of the special ones.\u00a0 Maddie simply can cover more distance in the water than most as her fundamental movements are so incredible.\u00a0 This does not happen by chance or luck it simply happens by hard work.\u00a0 Maddie\u2019s work ethic is second to none.\u00a0 She leads by example.\u00a0 Maddie\u2019s ability to create advantages in the counter attack is truly special.\u00a0 While everyone knows Maddie as a prolific scorer what I loved most about Maddie was her defensive abilities.\u00a0 Maddie loved the challenge of defending the other teams\u2019 best players.\u00a0 My hope is that we see Maddie back in the pool for one more go with team USA.\u201d\u00a0 If Musselman continues playing, she is likely to play for the United States in the 2028 Olympics.\u00a0 However, she deserves a spot on my list even if she doesn\u2019t play another game.\u00a0 Once Musselman\u2019s playing career is over, she will almost certainly be inducted into the Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n

6. Makenzie Fischer<\/strong> – attacker\/center defender, Laguna Beach High School and Stanford (3x NCAA champion, 4x All-American, 3x 1st team All-American, 2x Cutino Award winner, 2x ACWPC player of the year, 2x Olympian, 2x gold medalist, 3x FINA world champion).<\/p>\n

Fischer is Stanford\u2019s all-time leading scorer with 288 goals and scored 20 goals in the Olympics.\u00a0 Now that her playing career is over, she will almost certainly be inducted into the Hall of Fame.\u00a0 Former Michigan coach Marcelo Leonardi speaking with a reporter from SwimSwam<\/em> magazine in 2019:\u00a0 \u201cBack in 2014 when Mackenzie was a high school player, she was used primarily as a defensive player that had the ability to score and would guard at 2-meters.\u00a0 At Youth Worlds, we used her as a perimeter defender, so if she scored goals that was a plus.\u00a0 But what she is doing this year, I am not surprised.\u00a0 She is incredible.\u00a0 She is one of the best field players in the country. \u00a0I would also argue that she is the best two-way field player in the country.\u00a0 Her versatility, her length, her athleticism and her polo IQ put her at a whole different level.\u00a0 You have your hands full with Makenzie, not only on the perimeter \u2013 which she can play on both sides of the pool \u2013 but she can defend at the highest level and score at the highest level.\u00a0 She is not only matching up with other team\u2019s elite perimeter players, but she picks them apart.\u00a0 She counters, she creates on the counter attack, she finishes in zones, she can beat people one on one to create other advantages and in 6-on-5, she just picks you apart.\u201d\u00a0 Adam Krikorian, Fischer\u2019s coach on the 2016 and 2021 Olympics teams, speaking with USA Water Polo in May 2025:\u00a0 “(Mackenzie\u2019s) speed, length, versatility, and intelligence truly opened the door for our team to play the beautiful style of game that people across the globe were in awe of.\u00a0 It’s no coincidence that her growth was directly correlated with the program’s rise to prominence.\u00a0 Fish is one of the rare few that could change the outcome of a competition with her performance in ANY phase of the game.\u00a0 Matching her world-class skills with savvy intuition helped to spark numerous dominating performances.”\u00a0 Krikorian speaking about Mackenzie and Aria Fischer in May 2022 after they announced their retirement from the senior national team:\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re two of the all-time greats.\u00a0 And they will go down as just that, as two of the best to ever play their positions, and two people who had a tremendous impact on our program.\u00a0 They\u2019ll forever be a part of a team that many would say is the best to ever play the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

5. Kami Craig<\/strong> – center, Santa Barbara High School and USC (1x NCAA champion, 4x All-American, 3x 1st team All-American, 2x Cutino Award winner, 1x ACWPC player of the year, 3x Olympian, 2x gold medalist, 1x silver medalist, 3x FINA world champion, Hall of Fame).<\/p>\n

Craig played professionally for Olympiacos in Greece.\u00a0 Guy Baker, Craig\u2019s coach on the 2008 Olympic team, speaking with a reporter from The Los Angeles Times<\/em> in 2005:\u00a0 \u201cKami would be the prototype that you would look for at her position.\u00a0 She\u2019s lean and strong and she\u2019s a tremendous athlete.\u201d\u00a0 Adam Krikorian, Craig\u2019s coach on the 2012 and 2016 Olympic teams, speaking with USA Water Polo after Craig was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2021:\u00a0 \u201cKami\u2019s a bad ass.\u00a0 Tough, physical, so strong and explosive at the center position.\u00a0 She\u2019s one of the most consistent players I\u2019ve ever had the opportunity to coach.\u201d\u00a0 More from Krikorian after Craig announced her retirement from the senior national team in December 2016:\u00a0 \u201cKami will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, center to have ever played this game.\u00a0 Her combination of strength, explosiveness, and skill were a nightmare for our opponents to deal with, not to mention for our very own defenders on a daily basis.\u00a0 We knew we could always count on Kami.\u00a0 Every game, every possession.\u00a0 Her consistency provided us with some comfort and confidence to be able to play freely and was a byproduct of the professionalism she carried throughout her entire career, spanning a remarkable three separate quadrennials.\u00a0 Behind the scenes, she worked hard to build relationships and make connections with and between people that helped us become the strongest TEAM in the world.\u00a0 She held us all accountable, staff included, for doing things with a purpose, striving to be better daily, being more open and honest with each other, and quite simply, doing things the right way.”<\/p>\n

4. Melissa Seidemann<\/strong> \u2013 center defender\/center, College Park High School and Stanford (1x NCAA champion, 4x All-American, 2x 1st team All-American, 1x Cutino Award winner, 1x ACWPC player of the year, 3x Olympian, 3x gold medalist, 3x FINA world champion, Hall of Fame).<\/p>\n

Seidemann is Stanford\u2019s second all-time leading scorer with 239 goals.\u00a0 She played professionally for CN Sabadell in Spain for two years.\u00a0 Seidemann and Maggie Steffens are the only women to win three Olympic water polo gold medals.\u00a0 Seidemann is one of the very few male or female water polo players to be among the best players in the world at two positions.\u00a0 Stanford coach John Tanner speaking with a reporter from The Stanford Daily<\/em> in 2013 about Seidemann\u2019s performance during the 2012 Olympics:\u00a0 \u201cIn the semifinal game against Australia, which was the one really close, intense game at the Olympics, she controlled the tempo of the overtime periods almost singlehandedly.\u201d\u00a0 Kiley Neushul, Seidemann\u2019s teammate at Stanford and on the 2016 Olympic team, speaking with a reporter about Seidemann:\u00a0 \u201cShe was an amazing player.\u00a0 The backbone of our defense at Stanford and on the national team.\u201d\u00a0 Courtney Mathewson, Seidemann\u2019s teammate on the 2016 and 2021 Olympic teams, speaking with USA Water Polo earlier this year after Seidemann was inducted into the Water Polo Hall of Fame:\u00a0 \u201cIn the best way, she was a beast in the water.\u00a0 All you had to do was get the ball to her and something good was going to happen.\u201d\u00a0 Adam Krikorian, Seidemann\u2019s coach on the 2012, 2016, and 2021 Olympic teams, speaking with USA Water Polo after Seidemann announced her retirement from the senior national team in 2023:\u00a0 \u201cFor more than a decade, Melissa played the toughest positions in the pool on the best team in the world.\u00a0 Her combination of exquisite skill and unmatched strength at both the defender and center position will be impossible to replace.\u00a0 Her versatility in the middle of the pool not only impacted those areas but also freed others up to maximize their strengths and helped put our team in the best position to have success.\u201d<\/p>\n

3. Brenda Villa<\/strong> \u2013 5\u20194\u201d attacker, Bell Gardens High School and three years at Stanford (1x NCAA champion, 3x All-American, 3x 1st team All-American, 1x Cutino Award winner, 1x ACWPC player of the year, 4x Olympian, 1x gold medalist, 2x silver medalist, 1x bronze medalist, 3x FINA world champion, Hall of Fame).<\/p>\n

\"Aug

Photo Courtesy: Andrew Weber-US PRESSWIRE<\/p><\/div>\n

Villa, once dubbed the \u201cWayne Gretzky of water polo\u201d by Stanford coach John Tanner, scored 172 goals during her three years at Stanford.\u00a0 She was the FINA player of the decade in the 2000s.\u00a0 Villa and Heather Petri are the only women to win four Olympic medals in water polo.\u00a0 Villa scored 31 goals in the Olympics.\u00a0 She played professionally for Geymonat Orizzonte in Italy, winning two LEN Champions League titles.\u00a0 Listed at 5\u20194\u201d, Villa shows us that a \u201cshorter\u201d athlete can play at the highest levels of water polo.\u00a0 I asked Hall of Fame coach Doug Peabody about Villa.\u00a0 He said that Villa was \u201ca phenomenal player at age 13 when she was playing club water polo against 13-year-old boys.\u201d\u00a0 Guy Baker, Villa\u2019s coach on the 2000, 2004, and 2008 Olympic teams, told me that Villa was \u201ca generational player.\u201d\u00a0 Stanford coach John Tanner speaking with a reporter from SFGATE<\/em> in 2003:\u00a0 \u201cBrenda\u2019s a wonderful goal scorer and a very strong, creative player, but she’s 5\u20194\u201d in a sport dominated by 6-footers.\u00a0 She’s fast but not overwhelmingly fast and quick but she doesn’t have a significant advantage in quickness.\u00a0 And there’s no substitute for long arms in water polo, and her arms are not long.”\u00a0 The reporter then asked Tanner why Villa was so good.\u00a0 He replied:\u00a0 “It’s because she has always had this incredible sense of the game, an almost unreal ability to anticipate what’s going to happen.\u00a0 She puts herself in a position where the ball can find her.\u00a0 She’s able to see the game from a low angle in the water and she also seems to have a feel for what’s going on as if she were standing above the play.\u00a0 That’s extremely rare, a real gift.\u00a0 She has perspective to the point where it looks as if she was born to play water polo.”\u00a0 Tanner reminiscing about Villa after she was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018:\u00a0 \u201cBrenda is one of the most decorated and admired water polo athletes ever.\u00a0 The thing that separates her from others is how much better she made everybody around her.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. Ashleigh Johnson<\/strong> – goalie, Ransom Everglades High School in Miami and Princeton (4x All-American, 1x 1st team All American, 1x Cutino Award winner, 3x Olympian, 2x gold medalist, 4x FINA world champion).<\/p>\n

\"Ashleigh

Photo Courtesy: Andrea Staccioli \/ Deepbluemedia \/ Insidefoto<\/p><\/div>\n

Johnson, considered by some to be the greatest female goalie of all time, has recorded 211 saves in the Olympics.\u00a0 She played professionally for Ethnikos Piraeus and NC Vouliagmeni in Greece and Ekipe Orizzonte in Italy.\u00a0 Luis Nicolao, Johnson\u2019s coach at Princeton, speaking with a reporter from the Associated Press in 2016:\u00a0 \u201cAshleigh\u2019s a freak.\u00a0 She\u2019s just athletic.\u00a0 I often joke she could probably start for our basketball team, track team, and swim team.\u00a0 She just has that natural ability to succeed at anything she does.\u201d\u00a0 Nicolao speaking with a reporter after Johnson was inducted into the Collegiate Water Polo Association Hall of Fame in May 2025:\u00a0 \u201cCoaching Ashleigh Johnson was an absolute privilege.\u00a0 She\u2019s a once-in-a-lifetime player, and I was the lucky one who got to watch her greatness unfold every day.\u201d\u00a0 Adam Krikorian, Johnson\u2019s coach on the 2016, 2021, and 2024 Olympic teams, speaking with an NPR reporter in July 2024:\u00a0 \u201cAshleigh\u2019s an incredible athlete.\u00a0 She’s got great hand-eye coordination, great reflexes and reactions.\u00a0 And then she’s fiercely competitive – fiercely.\u00a0 You would never know it by her demeanor or by the huge smile on her face.\u00a0 But to us, on the inside, we know how driven she is to be one of the best ever to do it.\u201d\u00a0 If Johnson continues playing, she is likely to play for the United States in the 2028 Olympics.\u00a0 However, she deserves a spot on my list even if she doesn\u2019t play another game.\u00a0 Once Johnson\u2019s playing career is over, she will almost certainly be inducted into the Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n

1. Maggie Steffens<\/strong> \u2013 attacker\/center defender, Monte Vista High School and Stanford (2x NCAA champion, 4x 1st team All-American, 2x ACWPC player of the year, 4x Olympian, 3x gold medalist, 5x FINA world champion).<\/p>\n

\"Maggie

Photo Courtesy: USA Water Polo<\/p><\/div>\n

Steffens is considered by many to be the greatest women\u2019s water polo player of all time.\u00a0 She scored 229 goals during her four years at Stanford and is the leading scorer in women\u2019s Olympic water polo history with 64 goals.\u00a0 Steffens was named the most valuable player of the women\u2019s water polo tournaments in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.\u00a0 Steffens and Melissa Seidemann are the only women to win three Olympic water polo gold medals.\u00a0 Steffens has played professionally in Hungary and Spain, winning two LEN Champions League titles with Spain\u2019s CN Sabadell.\u00a0 Steffens was a water polo child prodigy.\u00a0 She started playing for Diablo Alliance Water Polo in Concord when she was 8.\u00a0 Maureen O\u2019Toole Purcell, Steffens coach at Diablo Alliance and a member of the Hall of Fame, told a reporter from The Seattle Times<\/em> that Steffens\u2019 skills were apparent right away:\u00a0 \u201cShe had that \u2018it\u2019 factor.\u00a0 I knew that she was going to be great.\u00a0 You just knew it.\u201d\u00a0 Hall of Fame coach Guy Baker told me that he predicted Steffens would become the best player in the world after watching her play when she was 14.\u00a0 Adam Krikorian, Steffens coach on the 2012, 2016, 2021, and 2024 Olympic teams, speaking with a reporter in 2012:\u00a0 \u201cI have seen Maggie play since she was 12.\u00a0 I knew she was special at 12.\u00a0 It was no surprise.\u00a0 I knew from before, from watching her, before ever coaching her, that she was incredibly talented, she was coachable and she was tough as nails.\u00a0 That was why I wanted her from the get-go.”\u00a0 Krikorian speaking with a reporter after the United States won the gold medal in the 2012 Olympics:\u00a0 \u201cJust like the greatest athletes in the world \u2014 Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan \u2014 Maggie makes everyone else around her better.”\u00a0 Stanford coach John Tanner speaking with a reporter from The Stanford Daily<\/em> after Stanford won the 2017 NCAA championship:\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve known (Maggie) since she was 10.\u00a0 Maggie\u2019s always been charismatic, energetic, enthusiastic, eternally optimistic\u00a0 and incredibly skillful and passionate about competition.\u00a0 All those things combine to make her the best leader I\u2019ve ever been around.\u201d\u00a0 More from Tanner in 2017:\u00a0 \u201cMaggie\u2019s brilliant in every phase of the game.\u00a0 There\u2019s nobody like her.\u00a0 There hasn\u2019t been either, in women\u2019s water polo.\u00a0 On the men\u2019s side, you see some people have greatness in certain areas.\u00a0 Maggie has every piece of the game wired.\u201d\u00a0 If Steffens continues playing, she is likely to play for the United States in the 2028 Olympics.\u00a0 However, she deserves the top spot on my list even if she doesn\u2019t play another game.\u00a0 Once Steffens\u2019 playing career is over, she will almost certainly be inducted into the Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Top American Women\u2019s Water Polo Players of the NCAA Era (Part III: No. 10-No. 1) By Jeff Moulton – Guest Editorial In the third and final installment of this<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67367,"featured_media":577845,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,6,17,12],"tags":[39795,39337,136708],"class_list":["post-620661","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-college","category-commentary","category-water-polo","tag-ashleigh-johnson","tag-maggie-steffens","tag-top-womens-ncaa-water-polo-players"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nTop 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