BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Madeleine Steere (Pascoe Vale, Australia/St. Catherine’s School), who recently competed her freshman season at the University of Michigan, will keep herself busy during the Summer as the rising sophomore is among 15 athletes named to the Australia National Team roster for the 2017 FINA World Championship in Budapest, Hungary, on July 14-30.
Starting on July 16, the FINA World Championship will match Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa, Spain, defending Olympic Gold Medalist the United States and host Hungary for international bragging rights.
Steere and the Australia National Team, also known as the Stingers, will compete against Russia, Kazakhstan and Greece in Group D preliminary round play. Italy, Brazil, Canada, China will compete in Group A, while New Zealand, South Africa, Spain and the United States play in Group B. Japan, the Netherlands, Hungary and France will battle in Group C.
Australia will open the tournament on Sunday, July 16, against Kazahstan at 6:50 p.m. local time, prior to meeting Russia on Tuesday, July 18, at 5:30 p.m. and Greece on Thursday, July 20, at 10:50 a.m. to establish the order of finish in Group D.
The tournament’s quarterfinals will take place on Monday, July 24, prior to the semifinals and final round being contested on Wednesday, July 26, and Friday, July 28, respectively. A compete schedule of the tournament is available by CLICKING HERE.
One of two current and/or past Wolverines on the Stingers’ roster as former Michigan athlete Amy Ridge who totaled 20 goals and 10 assists in 38 games during the Maize & Blue’s 2016 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) season was also named to the roster, Steere is coming off a breakout season in Ann Arbor.
A 2017 Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) All-America Honorable Mention selection to go along with CWPA All-Conference First Team and CWPA Championship First Team All-Tournament recognition for helping the Wolverines repeat as league champion, Steere compiled 51 goals and 49 assists to finish with 100 points.
She recorded 13 multi-goal games (three with five or more), 15 multi-assist outings (five with three assists) and four games with five or more points, she rates as one of only two freshmen in school history to record 100 points in a season.
For her homeland, Steere helped Australia finish in Seventh Place at the 2017 FINA World League Super Final in Shanghai, China, earlier this Summer and helped the Aussies win the 2015 World University Games in South Korea. A member of the Junior Women’s World Championship team in Volos, Greece in 2015, she won a Gold Medal at the Intercontinental Cup in 2014 and served as team captain of the Youth Women’s World Championship team in Madrid, Spain.
The Australia Water Polo Junior Athlete of the Year in 2014, a member of the U-18 National Team and team captain in 2015 and captain of the U-16 National Team in 2012 that won a silver medal at the Pan Pacific Games, she also won a Silver Medal at the 2013 Canada Cup.
