BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — 2017 Women’s Collegiate Club All-Southeast Division Second Team selection Lauren Treiman of Emory University helped the nine-member United States Women’s Water Polo roster finish in second place at the 20th World Maccabiah Games on July 4-18, 2017, in Israel.
One of three countries competing in women’s competition at the international tournament, the United States defeated Hungary (17-10 W, 12-7 W) and fell to Israel (7-3 L, 13-5 L) in round-robin play with Israel downing Hungary (16-4 W, 21-8 W) to set-up an Israel-vs.-USA title game.
The Americans held their own in the title game as Israel edged out the United States, 8-5, to capture the tournament’s Gold Medal.
The Maccabiah Games is the world’s largest Jewish athletic competition in the tradition of the Maccabees — emphasizing the centrality of the State of Israel in the life of the Jewish people.
The Maccabees were the leaders of a Jewish rebel army that took control of Judea between 164 BCE and 63 BCE and reasserted the Jewish religion in the area.
The Maccabiah Games take place every four years in Israel. They are the Maccabi World Union’s largest and most famous enterprise.
The principal mission of the Maccabiah Games is to facilitate a worldwide gathering of young Jewish athletes in Israel — staging the highest possible levels of sports competitions and strengthening their connection to Israel and the Jewish people.
Within the Maccabiah Games, there are four separate competitions that take place: Open, Juniors, Masters and Paralympics.
Juniors games are open to any qualifying athlete ages 15-18. Masters are divided into a number of different age categories mostly to accommodate older competitors. The Open Division is generally unlimited in age — subject to the governing international rules in each sport — and is intended for the best athletes from each delegation.
Maccabiah Games officials offer the athletes opportunities to tour the land of Israel and integrate all Maccabiah participants with the Israeli society and localities in the country; initiating and creating an unforgettable experience comprised of competitive sports, cultural events and lifetime memorable experiences.
In addition to being competitive, the sports competitions are also dedicated to the values of fair play, mutual respect, victory of body, intellect, and the pursuit of excellence.
The 20th Maccabiah Games were the biggest since the Games started in 1932 — including about 10,000 athletes and 22,000 fans from more than 80 countries.
2017 Team USA Maccabi Roster (Women’s Open)
- Sawyer Alter of Woodland Hills, Calif. (Agoura High School)
- Josie Berman of Wayzata, Minn. (Ithaca College)
- Rachel Jaffe of Irvine, Calif. (Sage Hill School)
- Rebekah Reynolds of Concord, Calif. (Clayton Valley Charter High School)
- Samantha Rosenberg of Hallandale Beach, Fla. (University of California-Santa Barbara)
- Ashlee Sellung of Hidden Hills, Calif. (California State University Northridge)
- Sarah Solomon of Rockville, Md. (Swarthmore College)
- Lauren Treiman of Salt Lake City, Utah (Emory University)
- Jasmine Yaghutiel of San Jose, Calif. (University of California-Berkeley)
