BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Former Princeton University standout Ashleigh Johnson ’17 earned a spot on the United States roster for the 2019 FINA World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea. The selection marks Johnson’s return to the World Championship stage for the first time since 2015 after stepping away from water polo in the summer of 2017.
Team USA is currently ranked number one in the world and has claimed gold at the last two FINA World Championships. They have won the FINA World Championship five times in program history (2003, 2007, 2009, 2015 and 2017), more than any other women’s water polo nation. Team USA qualified for the 2020 Olympic Games by virtue of a gold medal finish at the FINA World League Super Final held last month in Hungary.
The United States will open play on July 14 against New Zealand before meeting the Netherlands and South Africa to close out group play. A champion will be crowned on July 26. Visit OmegaTiming.com for complete event results including box scores, start lists and play-by-play. Live coverage of the FINA World Championship will air on The Olympic Channel. Contact your cable provider to find out how to access the programming.
One of the greatest athletes in Princeton history and the only athlete/graduate from a school other than either Stanford University, the University of California-Los Angles or the University of Southern California to earn a nod, Johnson won the C. Otto von Kienbusch and Cutino Awards during her senior season in 2017. She was the first player in Princeton women’s water polo history to be named first team All-America and third ever to be picked as All-American in each of her four seasons.
Johnson finished her Princeton career with a 100-17 record, along with a school-record 1,362 saves and a .693 save percentage. She was a 19-time Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Defensive Player of the Week award winner, a four-time first-team all-conference player and the 2015 CWPA Player of the Year.
USA Women’s National Team FINA World Championship Schedule
July 14 – USA vs New Zealand 9:50am (5:50pm pt – July 13)
July 16 – USA vs Netherlands 7:10pm (3:10am pt)
July 18 – USA vs South Africa 4:30pm (12:30am pt)
July 20 – TBD (crossover round)
July 22 – TBD (quarterfinals)
July 24 – TBD (semifinals)
July 26 – TBD (finals)
