BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Former Lindenwood University women’s collegiate club athlete Hanna Muller shot zero-for-one with a turnover foul and a steal as the Republic of South Africa rallied in the fourth quarter to down Brazil, 8-7, in the 13th Place game at the 2022/19th Annual FINA World Championships hosted in Budapest, Hungary.
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, and the 2020/2021 Olympics in Tokyo.
Competing in the Szeged Tlszavirag Pool, she helped set the stage for South Africa to rally back from a 6-5 deficit as the team achieved a 3-1 scoring advantage in the fourth quarter to earn the win.
Muller concludes the championship with a three-for-10 shooting performance with a pair of turnover fouls, three steals and two rebounds.
She helped South Africa reach the 13th Place game by opening the tournament and Group B action by shooting zero-for-two with a turnover foul in a 24-2 loss to Princeton University alumna Ashleigh Johnson and the United States of America on June 20 at the Debrecen Swimming Complex. Following a zero-for-one shooting performance with a pair of steals in a 7-6 loss to Princeton alumna Ashley Hatcher and Argentina on June 22, Muller returned to the water to shoot zero-for-one with a rebound in a 22-1 loss by South Africa against the Netherlands as the team finished third in Group B.
Battling Colombia on June 26 at the Szeged Tlszavirag Pool to determine if South Africa would appear in either the 13th or 15th Place game on June 28, Muller snuffed out Colombia by connecting on three-of-five shots – including one-for-two on action shots and two-for-three on shots from the center position – while posting a rebound off a missed shot as South Africa earned its first win.
Muller, who competed for Lindenwood in 2018 and 2019, earned All-Midwest Division First Team honors as a sophomore in 2019 to accompany All-America Second Team status. She 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 while earning 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.
Complete statistics of all 2022 FINA World Championship games are available by CLICKING HERE.
