USC Women Welcome Five To Troy
December 11, 2009 | Women's Water Polo
Dec. 11, 2009
The USC women's water polo team has signed a standout group of five newcomers to Troy for the 2011 season to come, head coach Jovan Vavic has announced. Joining the Women of Troy by way of recently-inked national letters of intent are Kaleigh Gilchrist, Colleen McCall, Colleen O'Donnell, Madeline Rosenthal and Jennifer Stiefel. Among the group are three All-CIF honorees and a trio of athletes with Junior World Championship experience to round out an impressive class of talent coming to the USC roster for the 2011 season.
"This class is very talented," Vavic said of the group. "We have some size and great speed. We have players who can play two-meter offense and defense, and they're really going to carry our team in the future."
Teammates on the 2009 U.S. Junior National Team that brought home a bronze medal from the Junior World Championships in Russia, Colleen O'Donnell and Madeline Rosenthal hail from opposite sides of the country but both bring key defensive talent to the pool for the Trojans. O'Donnell (Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes HS) was an All-CIF Southern Section Division II First Team selection as a junior, and played a key role for Team USA alongside Rosenthal. Rosenthal (Miami, Fla./Ransom Everglades School) comes to Troy from Florida as one of the top athletes from the East Coast. Both O'Donnell and Rosenthal both have siblings who have played water polo at USC. O'Donnell's oldest sister Erin recently graduated from USC, and Rosenthal's older brother Michael is a redshirt freshman for the Trojans, who just won the 2009 NCAA Championship.
"Colleen and Maddie are very fast," Vavic said of utility players O'Donnell and Rosenthal. "Colleen is very tough player. She's physically tough, very fast and an excellent shooter. Maddie can play every position, and she's also very fast and very physical. She'll help our counterattack and create some matchup problems for the other teams."
Another newcomer with family ties to Troy is Colleen McCall (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor HS). The driver is one of several McCalls to play for USC, including brother Adam, sisters Jennifer and Rebecca and current USC freshman Nicolina.
"Colleen is a great swimmer," Vavic said of McCall. "She's very fast and a great counterattack player."
McCall is a high school teammate of Kaleigh Gilchrist (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor HS), a standout surfer who also has helped power her Newport Harbor High team to a league title as a junior two-meter player, picking up 2008-09 All-CIF Southern Section Division I Second Team honors along the way.
"Kaleigh is very, very tough," Vavic said. "She's one of toughest in Division I and she's very strong. Having her will help us at two-meters after [2009 senior] Kami Craig graduates."
Finally, USC welcomes San Clemente product and German Junior National Team player Jennifer Stiefel (San Clemente, Calif./San Clemente HS). Stiefel was a 2008-09 All-CIF Southern Section Division II Second Team pick and also traveled to Russia in 2009 to compete with Germany at the Junior World Championships.
"Jennifer is a very quick player," Vavic said of driver Stiefel. "She's intelligent and a great team player who can create opportunities as an attacker."
