LOS ALAMITOS, CA, November 24. USA Water Polo has announced the roster for the 2005 FINA Junior Women\u2019s World Championship in Perth, Australia, January 24-30, 2005. <\/p>\n
Head coach Kyle Utsumi listed the squad this week in Los Alamitos (Calif.). The FINA Junior Women\u2019s World Championships will take place It will be the first FINA-sanctioned event of the new Olympic cycle. <\/p>\n
Utsumi, the former U.S. National Youth Team coach, has been working with most of these athletes since 2002, but it was difficult to nail down his 2004-05 roster from the 24 he has been carrying since May. The final roster features 13 athletes, plus two alternates. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis hasn\u2019t been easy,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I believe we have an experienced team capable of fighting through tough situations and I think we\u2019re going to be very competitive. We\u2019ve been working together for a while so now with the roster finalized, we can start to focus on our roles on the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Experience will definitely be a key for Utsumi\u2019s 13. Six players will be playing in their second Junior World Championships, with one\u2014Emily Feher (Santa Ana, CA\/UCLA\/SoCal)\u2014heading for her third. Gabbie Domanic (Santa Ana, CA\/UCLA\/SoCal), the lefthander that competed with the 2003 World Champion team in Barcelona and was later named as the Olympic alternate for the Athens Games, will be playing in her second. Feher and Domanic were both members of the team that captured gold at the 2001 Junior Worlds, also held in Perth. <\/p>\n
Also keeping a close eye on the team and its progress will be U.S. National Team head coach Guy Baker. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe first Junior Worlds of the quad is extremely important,\u201d said Baker. \u201cWe want to see who can compete at the senior level and possibly make the leap as we look ahead to Beijing 2008.\u201d<\/p>\n
The team features two players from outside of California in Alison Gregorka (Ann Arbor, MI\/Stanford) and Elsie Windes (Portland, OR\/Cal Berkeley\/Tualatin Hills). Windes selection to the team is also a benchmark in the progress of the Women\u2019s National Team for Baker and company in that she is the first player selected to a National Team after being identified at a P.A.C.E. (Programs for Athletes and Coaches Education) Clinic. Windes was pegged for the National Team level for her performance at the Corvallis clinic in October in 2002. <\/p>\n
The Junior World Championships will take place in Perth, Australia, January 24-30, 2005. The U.S. will have a tough bracket to contend with when play opens there. In addition to 2008 Olympic host China, the U.S. will have to contend with historical provens Russia and Hungary. <\/p>\n
For the latest on the upcoming Junior World Championships, keep an eye on www.fina.org. For more information on USA Water Polo or its National Team programs, visit www.usawaterpolo.org. <\/p>\n
U.S. Junior National Team Roster – Alphabetical
\nName\tPosition\tHt.\tHometown\tClub\tEducation
\nMolly Cahill ^\tAttacker\t5-9\tSanta Barbara, CA\tSanta Barbara\tUCLA \u201808
\nKami Craig\tCenter\t5-11\tSanta Barbara, CA\tSanta Barbara\tSanta Barbara HS \u201805
\nGabbie Domanic\tAttacker\t5-6\tSanta Ana, CA\tSoCal\tUCLA \u201808
\nEmily Feher\tGoalkeeper\t5-9\tSanta Ana, CA\tSoCal\tUCLA \u201807
\nErika Figge\tAttacker\t5-10\tRancho Santa Margarita, CA\tSD Shores\tUSC \u201807
\nAlison Gregorka\tAttacker\t5-9\tAnn Arbor, MI\t \tStanford \u201807
\nKatie Hansen\tAttacker\t5-7\tCoronado, CA\tCoronado\tStanford \u201807
\nBrittany Hayes\tAttacker\t5-6\tTustin, CA\tSoCal\tUSC \u201807
\nChristina Hewko\tCenter\t5-10\tNewport Beach, CA\t \tStanford \u201807
\nJillian Kraus\tAttacker\t5-9\tTustin, CA\tSoCal\tUCLA \u201808
\nKacy Kunkel\tCenter\t6-0\tLaguna Beach, CA\tSoCal\tUCLA \u201808
\nMarina Mayer #\tDefender\t6-0\tIrvine, CA\t \tUSC \u201807
\nMeridith McColl\tGoalkeeper\t5-11\tMission Viejo, CA\t \tStanford \u201807
\nAimee Stachowski\tDefender\t6-1\tRancho Santa Margarita, CA\tSoCal\tUC Santa Barbara \u201807
\nElsie Windes\tDefender\t5-10\tPortland, OR\tTualatin Hills\tCal Berkeley \u201807
\nHead Coach\tKyle Utsumi (Mountain View, CA)
\nAssistant Coach\tBernice Orwig (Anaheim, CA)
\nAssistant Coach\tKim Everist (Pleasant Hill, CA)
\nTeam Manager\tAlan Cima (Santa Cruz, CA)
\n^ 1st Alternate
\n# 2nd Alternate<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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