BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — USA Water Polo announced the athletes selected for competition at the inaugural 2026 World Aquatics Water Polo 4×4 Open Championships next week in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The world’s newest water polo format takes center stage from August 31-to-September 6 for the first-ever global showcase of four-on-four water polo.
A draw will take place on August 30 to determine schedules and every game will be streamed live on the World Aquatics YouTube channel. More information can be found on the World Aquatics website.
The United States of America will field teams in both genders for the competition in Dubrovnik.
On the women’s side, former Princeton University standout Haley Wan ’18 is among eight athletes – including USA Water Polo Senior National Team athletes Rachel Fattal, Jenna Flynn, Ryann Neushul, Jordan Raney, Jewel Roemer, and Lauren Steele – to battle for the title. Another Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA)/Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC) is part of the women’s roster as former Iona University standout and current Gaels’ assistant coach Patrick Judge will serve as an assistant coach.
A native of Irvine, Calif., and a graduate of Santa Margarita High School, Wan – who concluded her time in the Garden State with 234 career goals, 148 assists, 172 steals, 69 ejections drawn and 50 field blocks in 121 games – was a three-time CWPA All-Conference selection and CWPA Championship All-Tournament honoree with First (2017, 2018) and Second (2016) Team nods. She helped Princeton take the 2015 CWPA Championship and post second place finishes in 2017 and 2018.
Judge – a 2017 graduate of Iona, native of Pelham, N.Y. and graduate of Pehlham High School – was a four-year standout for the Gaels from 2014-17 and notched 34 goals over 71 games in three years of competition.
Another Princeton athlete will help the men’s team as JP Ohl ’26 is part of an eight-man roster that includes USA Senior National Team members Max Irving and Marko Vavic. Similar to the women’s squad, a CWPA connection will be on the bench for the Americans as CWPA and Bucknell University Hall of Fame member Scott Schulte will serve as an assistant coach.
A 2025 Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC) All-Conference Honorable Mention and NWPC All-Tournament Second Team pick, Ohl concluded his time at Princeton as the institution’s career leader in assists with 246. In addition, he registered 104 goals, 84 steals, 36 ejections drawn and 24 field blocks in 131 games while helping the Tigers capture the 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 NWPC Championships along with National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship tournament berths.
A 2026 inductee to the CWPA Hall of Fame and 1981 graduate of Bucknell, Schulte was an All-East water polo selection four straight years (1977-80), led the Bison to four Eastern Championships and established the prior NCAA water polo career scoring record with 586 goals to accompany 256 assists for 842 career points.
The high scorer in four straight NCAA Tournaments (the only player to accomplish this feat) and holder of the career record of 50 goals in NCAA Championships, Schulte played on Bucknell teams that had a combined record of 114-15-3, and he was a Second Team All-America in 1979 and 1980. He was the only player outside of California selected to those All-America squads.
The recipient of Bucknell’s Christy Mathewson Award, which recognizes the top athlete in the senior class, in 1981, Schulte was a member of the U.S. National Team from 1980-84, was a First Team Indoor All-America from 1981-85. The Most Valuable Player at the Indoor Nationals in 1981 and 1984, he competed in the World University Games in 1981 and was inducted into the Bucknell Hall of Fame in 1986.
USA Water Polo Women’s Team Roster
Rachel Fattal (Seal Beach, Calif./University of California-Los Angeles/NYAC)
Jenna Flynn (San Jose, Calif./Stanford University/NYAC)
Nina Flynn (San Jose, Calif./University of California/NYAC)
Ryann Neushul (Goleta, Calif./Stanford University/NYAC)
Jordan Raney (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Stanford University/NYAC/Ethnikos)
Jewel Roemer (Martinez, Calif./Stanford University/NYAC/Mataro)
Lauren Steele (Old Greenwich, Conn./University of California-Los Angeles/NYAC)
Haley Wan (Irvine, Calif/Princeton University/NYAC)
Head Coach – Molly Cahill
Assistant Coach – Patrick Judge
USA Water Polo Men’s Team Roster
Jake Howerton (Cardiff, Calif./University of California/NYAC)
Max Irving (Long Beach, Calif./University of California-Los Angeles/NYAC/Pro Recco)
Carson Kranz (Hermosa Beach, Calif./University of Southern California/NYAC)
JP Ohl (Greenwich, Conn./Princeton University/NYAC)
AJ Rossman (San Clemente, Calif./Stanford University/NYAC)
Marko Vavic (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./University of Southern California/NYAC/Apollon Smyrnis)
Stefan Vavic (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./University of the Pacific/NYAC)
Chris Whitelegge (Newport Beach, Calif./University of California-Santa Barbara/NYAC)
Head Coach – Ross Sinclair
Assistant Coach – Scott Schulte
