This article lists various water polo records and statistics in relation to the United States women's national water polo team at the Summer Olympics .
The United States women's national water polo team has participated in 7 of 7 official women's water polo tournaments .[ 1]
Abbreviations
Team statistics
Comprehensive results by tournament
Note: Results of Olympic qualification tournaments are not included. Last updated: 11 August 2021.
Legend
1st – Champions
2nd – Runners-up
3rd – Third place
4th – Fourth place
Q – Qualified for forthcoming tournament
– Hosts
Number of appearances
Last updated: 11 August 2024.
Legend
Women's team[ 1]
Apps
Record streak
Active streak
Debut
Most recent
Best finish
Confederation
United States
7
7
7
2000
2024
Champions
Americas – UANA
Best finishes
Last updated: 11 August 2021.
Legend
Women's team[ 1]
Best finish
Apps
Confederation
United States
Champions (2012, 2016, 2020)
7
Americas – UANA
Finishes in the top four
Last updated: 11 August 2021.
Legend
Women's team[ 1]
Total
Champions
Runners-up
Third place
Fourth place
First
Last
United States
7
3 (2012, 2016, 2020)
2 (2000, 2008)
1 (2004)
1 (2024)
2000
2024
Medal table
Last updated: 11 August 2021.
Player statistics
Multiple appearances
The following table is pre-sorted by number of Olympic appearances (in descending order), year of the last Olympic appearance (in ascending order), year of the first Olympic appearance (in ascending order), date of birth (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively.
Number of five-time Olympians: 0
Number of four-time Olympians: 2
Number of three-time Olympians: 1
Last updated: 26 July 2021.
Legend
Female athletes who competed in water polo at three or more Olympics
Apps
Player
Birth
Pos
Water polo tournaments
Age of first/last
ISHOF member
Note
Ref
1
2
3
4
5
4
Heather Petri
1978
FP
2000
2004
2008
2012
22/34
[ 2]
Brenda Villa
1980
FP
2000
2004
2008
2012
20/32
2018
[ 3]
3
Kami Craig
1987
FP
2008
2012
2016
21/29
[ 4]
Multiple medalists
The following table is pre-sorted by total number of Olympic medals (in descending order), number of Olympic gold medals (in descending order), number of Olympic silver medals (in descending order), year of receiving the last Olympic medal (in ascending order), year of receiving the first Olympic medal (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively.
Number of four-time Olympic medalists: 2
Number of three-time Olympic medalists: 3
Number of two-time Olympic medalists: 18
Last updated: 10 August 2021.
Legend
Female athletes who won two or more Olympic medals in water polo
Rk
Player
Birth
Height
Pos
Water polo tournaments
Period (age of first/last)
Medals
Ref
1
2
3
4
5
G
S
B
T
1
Heather Petri
1978
1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
FP
2000
2004
2008
2012
12 years (22/34)
1
2
1
4
[ 2]
Brenda Villa
1980
1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)
FP
2000
2004
2008
2012
12 years (20/32)
1
2
1
4
[ 3]
3
Melissa Seidemann
1990
1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
FP
2012
2016
2020
9 years (22/31)
3
0
0
3
[ 5]
Maggie Steffens
1993
1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
FP
2012
2016
2020
9 years (19/28)
3
0
0
3
[ 6]
5
Kami Craig
1987
1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
FP
2008
2012
2016
8 years (21/29)
2
1
0
3
[ 4]
6
Courtney Mathewson
1986
1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)
FP
2012
2016
4 years (25/29)
2
0
0
2
[ 7]
Rachel Fattal
1993
1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
FP
2016
2020
5 years (22/27)
2
0
0
2
[ 8]
Aria Fischer
1999
1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
FP
2016
2020
5 years (17/22)
2
0
0
2
[ 9]
Makenzie Fischer
1997
1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
FP
2016
2020
5 years (19/24)
2
0
0
2
[ 10]
Kaleigh Gilchrist
1992
1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
FP
2016
2020
5 years (24/29)
2
0
0
2
[ 11]
Ashleigh Johnson
1994
1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
GK
2016
2020
5 years (21/26)
2
0
0
2
[ 12]
Maddie Musselman
1998
1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
FP
2016
2020
5 years (18/23)
2
0
0
2
[ 13]
13
Elizabeth Armstrong
1983
1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
GK
2008
2012
4 years (25/29)
1
1
0
2
[ 14]
Jessica Steffens
1987
1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
FP
2008
2012
4 years (21/25)
1
1
0
2
[ 15]
Lauren Wenger
1984
1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
FP
2008
2012
4 years (24/28)
1
1
0
2
[ 16]
Elsie Windes
1985
1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
FP
2008
2012
4 years (23/27)
1
1
0
2
[ 17]
17
Kelly Rulon
1984
1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
FP
2004
2012
8 years (20/27)
1
0
1
2
[ 18]
18
Robin Beauregard
1979
1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
FP
2000
2004
4 years (21/25)
0
1
1
2
[ 19]
Ellen Estes
1978
1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
FP
2000
2004
4 years (21/25)
0
1
1
2
[ 20]
Ericka Lorenz
1981
1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
FP
2000
2004
4 years (19/23)
0
1
1
2
[ 21]
Heather Moody
1973
1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
FP
2000
2004
4 years (27/31)
0
1
1
2
[ 22]
Nicolle Payne
1976
1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
GK
2000
2004
4 years (24/28)
0
1
1
2
[ 23]
Natalie Golda
1981
1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
FP
2004
2008
4 years (22/26)
0
1
1
2
[ 24]
Rk
Player
Birth
Height
Pos
1
2
3
4
5
Period (age of first/last)
G
S
B
T
Ref
Water polo tournaments
Medals
Top goalscorers
The following table is pre-sorted by number of total goals (in descending order), year of the last Olympic appearance (in ascending order), year of the first Olympic appearance (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively.
Number of goalscorers (40+ goals): 1
Number of goalscorers (30–39 goals): 2
Number of goalscorers (20–29 goals): 1
Last updated: 12 August 2021.
Legend
Female players with 20 or more goals at the Olympics
Rk
Player
Birth
L/R
Total goals
Water polo tournaments (goals)
Age of first/last
ISHOF member
Note
Ref
1
2
3
4
5
1
Maggie Steffens
1993
Right
56
2012 (21)
2016 (17)
2020 (18)
19/28
[ 6]
2
Brenda Villa
1980
Right
31
2000 (9)
2004 (7)
2008 (9)
2012 (6)
20/32
2018
[ 25]
3
Maddie Musselman
1998
Right
30
2016 (12)
2020 (18)
18/23
[ 13]
4
Makenzie Fischer
1997
Right
21
2016 (7)
2020 (14)
19/24
[ 10]
Source:
Official Results Books (PDF): 2000 (p. 101), 2004 (pp. 84–85), 2008 (pp. 77–78), 2012 (pp. 368–369), 2016 (pp. 218–219), 2020 (pp. 273–274).
Goalkeepers
The following table is pre-sorted by edition of the Olympics (in ascending order), cap number or name of the goalkeeper (in ascending order), respectively.
Last updated: 1 April 2021.
Legend and abbreviation
– Hosts
Eff % – Save efficiency (Saves / Shots)
Source:
Official Results Books (PDF): 2000 (p. 101), 2004 (pp. 84–85), 2008 (pp. 77–78), 2012 (pp. 368–369), 2016 (pp. 218–219).
Top sprinters
The following table is pre-sorted by number of total sprints won (in descending order), year of the last Olympic appearance (in ascending order), year of the first Olympic appearance (in ascending order), name of the sprinter (in ascending order), respectively.
Number of sprinters (30+ sprints won): 0
Number of sprinters (20–29 sprints won): 0
Number of sprinters (10–19 sprints won): 2
Number of sprinters (5–9 sprints won): 1
Last updated: 15 May 2021.
Legend and abbreviation
– Hosts
Eff % – Efficiency (Sprints won / Sprints contested)
Female players with 5 or more sprints won at the Olympics
Rk
Sprinter
Birth
Total sprints won
Total sprints contested
Eff %
Water polo tournaments (sprints won / contested)
Age of first/last
ISHOF member
Note
Ref
1
2
3
4
5
1
Rachel Fattal
1993
17
23
73.9%
2016 (17/23)
22/22
[ 8]
2
Heather Petri
1978
13
18
72.2%
2000 (1/1)
2004 (0/0)
2008 (11/15)
2012 (1/2)
22/34
[ 2]
3
Margaret Dingeldein
1980
5
5
100.0%
2004 (5/5)
24/24
[ 31]
Source:
Official Results Books (PDF): 2000 (p. 101), 2004 (pp. 84–85), 2008 (pp. 77–78), 2012 (pp. 368–369), 2016 (pp. 218–219).
Coach statistics
Most successful coaches
The following table is pre-sorted by total number of Olympic medals (in descending order), number of Olympic gold medals (in descending order), number of Olympic silver medals (in descending order), year of winning the last Olympic medal (in ascending order), year of winning the first Olympic medal (in ascending order), name of the coach (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 5 May 2021.
Guy Baker guided the United States women's team to three Olympic medals in a row between 2000 and 2008.[ 32] [ 33]
Adam Krikorian coached the United States women's national team to two consecutive Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016.[ 34] [ 33]
Legend
Olympic champions
2012 Summer Olympics
Edition of women's tournament: 4th
Host city: London , United Kingdom
Number of participating teams: 8
Competition format: Round-robin pools advanced teams to classification matches
Champion: United States (1st title; 2nd place in preliminary A group)
Match
Round
Date
Cap color
Opponent
Result
Goals for
Goals against
Goals diff.
Match 1/6
Preliminary round – Group A
30 July 2012
Blue
Hungary
Won
14
13
1
Match 2/6
Preliminary round – Group A
1 August 2012
Blue
Spain
Drawn
9
9
0
Match 3/6
Preliminary round – Group A
3 August 2012
Blue
China
Won
7
6
1
Match 4/6
Quarter-finals
5 August 2012
White
Italy
Won
9
6
3
Match 5/6
Semi-finals
7 August 2012
White
Australia
Won
11
9
2
Match 6/6
Gold medal match
9 August 2012
White
Spain
Won
8
5
3
Total
Matches played: 6 • Wins: 5 • Ties: 1 • Defeats: 0 • Win %: 83.3%
58
48
10
Source: Official Results Books (PDF): 2012 (pp. 294, 300, 310, 312, 324, 334).
Brenda Villa was the captain of the United States at the 2012 Olympics.
Roster
Cap No.
Player
Pos
L/R
Height
Weight
Date of birth
Age of winning gold
Oly debut
ISHOF member
1
Elizabeth Armstrong
GK
R
1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
77 kg (170 lb)
31 January 1983
29 years, 191 days
No
2
Heather Petri
FP
R
1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
73 kg (161 lb)
13 June 1978
34 years, 57 days
No
3
Melissa Seidemann
FP
R
1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
104 kg (229 lb)
26 June 1990
22 years, 44 days
Yes
4
Brenda Villa (C)
FP
R
1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)
79 kg (174 lb)
18 April 1980
32 years, 113 days
No
2018
5
Lauren Wenger
FP
R
1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
77 kg (170 lb)
11 March 1984
28 years, 151 days
No
6
Maggie Steffens
FP
R
1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
70 kg (154 lb)
4 June 1993
19 years, 66 days
Yes
7
Courtney Mathewson
FP
R
1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)
71 kg (157 lb)
14 September 1986
25 years, 330 days
Yes
8
Jessica Steffens
FP
R
1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
75 kg (165 lb)
7 April 1987
25 years, 124 days
No
9
Elsie Windes
FP
R
1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
70 kg (154 lb)
17 June 1985
27 years, 53 days
No
10
Kelly Rulon
FP
R
1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
61 kg (134 lb)
16 August 1984
27 years, 359 days
No
11
Annika Dries
FP
R
1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
88 kg (194 lb)
10 February 1992
20 years, 181 days
Yes
12
Kami Craig
FP
R
1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
88 kg (194 lb)
21 July 1987
25 years, 19 days
No
13
Tumua Anae
GK
R
1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
70 kg (154 lb)
16 October 1988
23 years, 298 days
Yes
Average
1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
77 kg (170 lb)
5 May 1986
26 years, 96 days
Coach
Adam Krikorian
22 July 1974
38 years, 18 days
Note: Jessica Steffens and Maggie Steffens are sisters.
Sources:
Abbreviation
MP – Matches played
Min – Minutes
G – Goals
Sh – Shots
AS – Assists
TF – Turnover fouls
ST – Steals
BL – Blocked shots
SP – Sprints
20S – 20 seconds exclusion
DE – Double exclusion
Pen – Penalty
EX – Exclusion
Statistics
Cap No.
Player
Pos
MP
Minutes played
Goals/Shots
AS
TF
ST
BL
Sprints
Personal fouls
Min
%
G
Sh
%
Won
SP
%
20S
DE
Pen
EX
1
Elizabeth Armstrong
GK
6
198
100%
1
2
Heather Petri
FP
6
61
30.8%
1
12
8.3%
2
3
1
1
2
50.0%
2
3
Melissa Seidemann
FP
6
95
48.0%
7
20
35.0%
1
5
1
1
8
2
1
2
4
Brenda Villa (C)
FP
6
153
77.3%
6
24
25.0%
12
4
4
5
2
1
5
Lauren Wenger
FP
6
161
81.3%
2
11
18.2%
6
8
4
10
1
13
7.7%
2
6
Maggie Steffens
FP
6
157
79.3%
21
27
77.8%
8
8
10
2
7
3
7
Courtney Mathewson
FP
6
95
48.0%
7
21
33.3%
1
4
1
1
8
Jessica Steffens
FP
6
83
41.9%
1
4
25.0%
2
6
2
2
14
1
3
9
Elsie Windes
FP
6
98
49.5%
1
8
12.5%
5
6
2
3
11
3
3
10
Kelly Rulon
FP
6
112
56.6%
4
12
33.3%
5
5
1
1
4
11
36.4%
2
11
Annika Dries
FP
6
65
32.8%
2
5
40.0%
1
11
1
2
2
12
Kami Craig
FP
6
108
54.5%
6
9
66.7%
2
17
2
1
2
13
Tumua Anae
GK
6
0
0.0%
Team
7
Total
6
198
100%
58
153
37.9%
44
82
31
29
6
26
23.1%
53
3
8
8
Against
48
184
26.1%
31
65
42
14
20
26
76.9%
61
3
4
4
Source: Official Results Books (PDF): 2012 (p. 368).
2016 Summer Olympics
Edition of women's tournament: 5th
Host city: Rio de Janeiro , Brazil
Number of participating teams: 8
Competition format: Round-robin pools advanced teams to classification matches
Champion: United States (2nd title; 1st place in preliminary B group)
Match
Round
Date
Cap color
Opponent
Result
Goals for
Goals against
Goals diff.
Match 1/6
Preliminary round – Group B
9 August 2016
Blue
Spain
Won
11
4
7
Match 2/6
Preliminary round – Group B
11 August 2016
Blue
China
Won
12
4
8
Match 3/6
Preliminary round – Group B
13 August 2016
Blue
Hungary
Won
11
6
5
Match 4/6
Quarter-finals
15 August 2016
Blue
Brazil
Won
13
3
10
Match 5/6
Semi-finals
17 August 2016
Blue
Hungary
Won
14
10
4
Match 6/6
Gold medal match
19 August 2016
White
Italy
Won
12
5
7
Total
Matches played: 6 • Wins: 6 • Ties: 0 • Defeats: 0 • Win %: 100%
73
32
41
Source: Official Results Books (PDF): 2016 (pp. 142, 148, 158, 168, 176, 184).
Roster
Cap No.
Player
Pos
L/R
Height
Weight
Date of birth
Age of winning gold
Oly debut
ISHOF member
1
Samantha Hill
GK
R
1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
89 kg (196 lb)
8 June 1992
24 years, 72 days
Yes
2
Maddie Musselman
FP
R
1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
65 kg (143 lb)
16 June 1998
18 years, 64 days
Yes
3
Melissa Seidemann
FP
R
1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
104 kg (229 lb)
26 June 1990
26 years, 54 days
No
4
Rachel Fattal
FP
R
1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
65 kg (143 lb)
10 December 1993
22 years, 253 days
Yes
5
Caroline Clark
FP
R
1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
72 kg (159 lb)
28 June 1990
26 years, 52 days
Yes
6
Maggie Steffens (C)
FP
R
1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
74 kg (163 lb)
4 June 1993
23 years, 76 days
No
7
Courtney Mathewson
FP
R
1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)
69 kg (152 lb)
14 September 1986
29 years, 340 days
No
8
Kiley Neushul
FP
R
1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
65 kg (143 lb)
5 March 1993
23 years, 167 days
Yes
9
Aria Fischer
FP
R
1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
78 kg (172 lb)
2 March 1999
17 years, 170 days
Yes
10
Kaleigh Gilchrist
FP
R
1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
77 kg (170 lb)
16 May 1992
24 years, 95 days
Yes
11
Makenzie Fischer
FP
R
1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
74 kg (163 lb)
29 March 1997
19 years, 143 days
Yes
12
Kami Craig
FP
R
1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
88 kg (194 lb)
21 July 1987
29 years, 29 days
No
13
Ashleigh Johnson
GK
R
1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
81 kg (179 lb)
12 September 1994
21 years, 342 days
Yes
Average
1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
77 kg (170 lb)
1 February 1993
23 years, 200 days
Coach
Adam Krikorian
22 July 1974
42 years, 28 days
Note: Aria Fischer and Makenzie Fischer are sisters.
Sources:
Abbreviation
MP – Matches played
Min – Minutes
G – Goals
Sh – Shots
AS – Assists
TF – Turnover fouls
ST – Steals
BL – Blocked shots
SP – Sprints
20S – 20 seconds exclusion
DE – Double exclusion
Pen – Penalty
EX – Exclusion
Source: Official Results Books (PDF): 2016 (p. 218).
See also
References
Sources
Official Results Books (IOC)
PDF documents in the LA84 Foundation Digital Library:
PDF documents on the FINA website:
PDF documents in the Olympic World Library:
PDF documents on the International Olympic Committee website:
Official Reports (FINA)
PDF documents on the FINA website:
Official website (IOC)
Water polo on the International Olympic Committee website:
Olympedia
Water polo on the Olympedia website:
Sports Reference
Water polo on the Sports Reference website:
Todor66
Water polo on the Todor66 website:
ISHOF
International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) website:
External links
United States squads – Summer Olympics
General Tournaments
Qualifications
Squads
Statistics
Miscellaneous