FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State water polo will be well represented at upcoming summer events including the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore this month and the World Aquatics Women's U20 Water Polo Championships in Brazil next month.
The World Aquatics Championships in Singapore take place July 10-July 24. Former Bulldogs Emily Nicholson and Kaitlin Howarth will compete on the New Zealand National Team. Current Bulldog head coach Natalie Benson has been named an assistant coach for the US Women's National Team.
Nicholson is No. 2 at Fresno State with 195 career goals scored. She owned the program record until this season when Brooke Ochoa took over with 217 goals. Nicholson was a member of the inaugural team, playing with the Bulldogs from 2018-22. Howarth is a year removed from the program, playing for Fresno State from 2020-24.
Benson, who is an Olympic medalist herself, returns to the USA Women's Water Polo National Team as an assistant coach, joining back as an assistant coach with the national team ranks for the first time since 2017 when she coached the junior national team.
A trio of newcomers will represent the Bulldogs in the U20 water polo championships, hosted in Brazil on August 10-16. Charley Stephens is playing for Australia, while Riaan Bryant and Georgia Daly will represent New Zealand.
Stephens is no stranger to the big stage, having played on the Australian Youth National Team last summer, helping Australia to a fifth place finish and earning player of the game honors during the championship event.
Bryant also represented her country at the Youth World Championships last summer. She is joined by new Fresno State teammate in Daly who transferred to Fresno State after playing at UC Davis in 2025. She competed with the U20 New Zealand team at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Portugal.
More information on both world championship events can be found here.