Local water polo players Kami Craig and Kiley Neushul have been named to the USA Senior National Team roster for the FINA Women’s World Championships later this month in Barcelona, Spain.
A total of 14 athletes were selected by U.S. coach Adam Krikorian. He will chose 13 for the competition, with the remaining athlete serving as an alternate. That decision will be made closer to the start of the competition.
Team USA opens against Greece on July 21. They’ll also play Canada and Great Britain in group play.
Craig, a Santa Barbara alum and two-time Olympian, is one of eight players on the roster off the U.S. gold-medal winning team from the 2012 Olympic Games in London. She will be playing in her third World Championship tournament. She scored nine goals during a run to the gold medal at the 2009 Worlds. She also was on the team that finished sixth at the 2011 tournament.
Neushul, a four-time CIF Player of the Year at Dos Pueblos High (2008-2011) who just completed her sophomore season at Stanford, is one of the up-and-coming players on the senior national team. She played on the squad at the recent FINA World League Super Final, where it took a bronze medal.
Team USA will travel to the Netherlands to play in an exhibition tournament before heading to Barcelona.
