BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Two-time Women’s Collegiate Club All-America selection Hanna Muller of Lindenwood University will compete for South Africa at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games this summer, the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee announced on the evening of June 24.
A native of East London, South Africa and a graduate of the Stirling School, she previously represented her homeland at the 2018 FINA Women’s World Cup in Surgut, Russia.
Muller, who competed for Lindenwood in 2018 and 2019, will be joined by another Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) student-athlete as incoming Bucknell University recruit Boati Motau will also suit up for South Africa. Overall, six former/current/future CWPA student-athletes are known to appear on an Olympic women’s water polo roster with Princeton University alumna Ashleigh Johnson (United States), Indiana University alums Shae (Fournier) La Roche (Canada) and Jessica Gaudreault (Canada – Alternate) and Hartwick College Hall of Fame inductee Bronwen Knox (Australia) joining Motau and Muller.
The lone former/current collegiate club player believed to be competing at the 2021 Olympics, Muller earned All-Midwest Division First Team honors as a sophomore in 2019 to accompany All-America Second Team status. Muller also helped Midwest Division Champion Lindenwood earn a Fifth Place finish at the 2019 Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship hosted by the University of Notre Dame earned All-Tournament Second Team laurels.
As a freshman in 2018, she claimed positions on the All-America and Midwest Division All-Conference Second Teams following a season in which she led Midwest Division Champion Lindenwood with 59 goals to accompany 34 assists and 61 steals. A National Collegiate Club Championship All-Tournament Second Team selection, she scored 10 goals in four games to help Lindenwood finish in Fourth Place at the event hosted by the University of Washington at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Ore.
Muller, Motau and the rest of the South African squad will open up their Olympic competition against Spain on Saturday, July 24 in Group A competition before taking on Canada (July 28), the Netherlands (July 30) and Australia (August 1) in the Preliminary Round.
