{"id":643329,"date":"2026-05-16T09:49:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T16:49:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=643329"},"modified":"2026-05-16T09:49:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T16:49:42","slug":"meghan-mcaninch-usc-water-polo-comeback-ncaa-champion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/meghan-mcaninch-usc-water-polo-comeback-ncaa-champion\/","title":{"rendered":"USC\u2019s Comeback Kid: Meghan McAninch reflects on her first NCAA Water Polo Championship"},"content":{"rendered":"

From Injury and Heartbreak to NCAA Champ:
\nMeghan McAninch\u2019s USC Comeback<\/h1>\n

Honk! The final horn sounded.<\/p>\n

California\u2019s<\/strong> last push had come up short. USC<\/strong> players were already sprinting toward each other in the water at UC San Diego<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The 2026 NCAA Women\u2019s Water Polo Championship belonged to The Women of Troy.<\/p>\n

Meghan McAninch<\/strong> froze.<\/p>\n

\u201cI honestly didn\u2019t know how to react,\u201d McAninch said. \u201cI didn\u2019t plan ahead. We were in the water when the horn blew, and remember the girl that was guarding me kind of just started floating away. I was like, \u2018Do I swim to my teammates?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

This video shows McAninch splashing in the water after the final horn. She barely remembers it.<\/p>\n

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A post shared by USC Trojans (@usc_athletics)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n