U.S. Olympic 2008 Team for Women's Water Polo
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Betsey Armstrong - Goalkeeper
Patty Cardenas - Attacker
Kami Craig - Center
Natalie Golda - Defender
Alison Gregorka - Defender
Brittany Hayes - Attacker
Jaime Hipp - Goalkeeper
Heather Petri - Attacker
Jessica Steffens - Defender
Moriah van Norman - Center
Brenda Villa - Attacker
Lauren Wenger - All Around
Elsie Windes - Defender
Alternate: Erika Figge - Attacker
Head Coach: Guy Baker
Asst. Coaches: Kyle Kopp, Heather Moody
Team Leader: Bernice Orwig
U.S. Olympic Team for Men's Water Polo
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Tony Azevedo, Attacker
Ryan Bailey, Center
Layne Beaubien, Defender
Brandon Brooks, Goalkeeper
Adam Hewko, Driver
Thomas Hopkins, Driver
Peter Hudnut, Defender
Tim Hutten, 2-meter Defense
James "JW" Krumpholz, Center
Rick Merlo, 2-meter Defense
Merrill Moses, Goalkeeper
Jeff Powers, Defender
Jesse Smith, Defender
Peter Varellas, Left-handed Attacker
Adam Wright, Attacker
Alternates: John Mann, Center; Brian Alexander, Driver
Head Coach: Terry Schroeder
Asst. Coaches: Ryan Brown, Robert Lynn
Team Leader: Rick McKee
USA Water Polo is proud to announce the U.S. Olympic Teams for Men's and Women's Water Polo that will compete at the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China starting August 8. The squads each qualified for the Olympics via Gold Medal victories at the 2007 Pan American Games and both are fresh off Silver Medal finishes at the 2008 FINA World League Super Final.
Leading the way for the women's team, the current FINA World Champions is captain Brenda Villa (Commerce, CA/Stanford) who is headed to her third Olympic Games. Joining her is another three-time Olympian in Heather Petri (Orinda, CA/Berkeley) and two-timer Natalie Golda (Fullerton, CA/UCLA). The rest of the squad is made up of 10 first time Olympians who despite the fact are rich with experience having all spent at least the last two years with the national team.
Moriah van Norman (San Diego, CA/USC), Lauren Wenger (Long Beach, CA), Patty Cardenas (Commerce, CA/USC), Brittany Hayes (Santa Ana, CA/USC), and Kami Craig (Santa Barbara, CA/USC) round out the Southern California contingent, as the five former college teammates will suit up for Team USA. Joining them are two of Michigan's finest in Alison Gregorka (Ann Arbor, MI/Stanford) and Bestey Armstrong (Ann Arbor, MI/Michigan) along with the other non-Californian in Elsie Windes (Portland, OR/Berkeley). Last but not least are a pair from Central and Northern California in Jaime Hipp (Fresno, CA/UCLA) and Jessica Steffens (Danville, CA/Stanford).
"When we name the team it's a great time in our program, there is excitement and for some there is also relief. It's the last part, we got our team, this will be the team that will represent us at the Olympic Games." -- Guy Baker, Head Coach - U.S. Olympic Team for Women's Water Polo
On the men's side two athletes also return for their Olympic Games in the form of team captain Tony Azevedo (Long Beach, CA/Stanford) and veteran center Ryan Bailey (Long Beach, CA/UC-Irvine). Joining those two are five returning Olympians including Layne Beaubien (Coronado, CA/Stanford), Adam Wright (Seal Beach, CA/UCLA), Jeff Powers (San Luis Obispo, CA/UC-Irvine), Jesse Smith (Coronado, CA/Pepperdine), and Brandon Brooks (Honolulu, HI/UCLA). Concluding the roster are six first timers including Rick Merlo (Fresno, CA/UC-Irvine), Merrill Moses (Palos Verdes, CA/Pepperdine), Peter Hudnut (Encino, CA/Stanford), Tim Hutten (Seal Beach, CA/UC-Irvine), Peter Varellas (Moraga, CA/Stanford), and JW Krumpholz (Santa Ana, CA/USC).
Alternates for the men's team are Brian Alexander (Cambria, CA/UCSB) and John Mann (Newport Beach, CA/Berkeley) while Erika Figge (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA/USC) will serve as the alternate for the women. The men's team begins competition August 10 against China while the women start August 11 also against China.
"The last six months a big part of it was evaluation and selecting the team, and today we also are honoring the guys that didn't make it. Now we focus on these 13 guys and I think we have the potential to continue to improve and grow and make Team USA even better." -- Terry Schroeder, Head Coach - U.S. Olympic Team for Men's Water Polo
