LEWISBURG, Pa. – Incoming first year Boati Motau of the Bucknell University women’s water polo team has been named to the South African women’s water polo team set to compete in the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games this summer, the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee announced on the evening of June 24.
Motau, who hails from Johannesburg, will join the Bison program in the spring after a decorated career at the Roedean School in South Africa. Motau was named the 2020 Sports Woman of the Year, while earning Full Colours in both field hockey and water polo (Varsity letters) in 2018, 2019, and 2020. Motau earned First Team All-State accolades while helping the Roedean School to a third-place National finish in 2020.
A three-sport athlete at the school in water polo, field hockey, and swimming, Motau has represented the South African squad at youth level since 2018, helping the U17 team to a second-place showing at the EU Nations Water Polo Cup in 2019. Motau was also the team captain in both field hockey and water polo at Roedean in 2019-20, helping the water polo squad to two straight top-three finishes ad the Old Mutual Prestige Cup.
Motau will be joined by another Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) student-athlete as former Lindenwood University women’s collegiate club player Hannah Muller 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.
Motau, Muller 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.
Information courtesy Bucknell University Athletics Communications
