Maggie Steffens: Waterpolo Gold Medalist and MVP
Water polo is known as one of the most challenging sports in the world, but playing at an Olympic level can be a lot more physically and mentally difficult. If you have been keeping up with the 2024 Paris Olympics, you might have heard of the USA team captain Margaret Ann (or Maggie) Steffens. She is a professional water polo player and a three-time Olympic Gold Medalist and World Champion. This article will explore her early childhood, career, and what she’s doing today!
Maggie Steffens playing in the NCAA against UCLA
Early Life/ College Career:
Since a child, Steffens dreamt of playing in the Olympics as a professional water polo player. What was a mere dream turned into one of the most successful careers in the history of water polo. At Monte Vista High School, she helped her team win the 2007, 2008, and 2009 league championships and played for the Diablo Water Polo in Alamo, California.
When she attended Stanford University, her career started to bloom. She won three National Championship titles in 2014, 2015, and 2017. In addition, she received the titles as an NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Tournament MVP, multiple MSPF Player of the Year, and ACPWC Player of the Year honors. Even with all the competition, she studied for a degree in Science, Technology, and Society (B.S. in 2017) and later a Master in Science in Management, Science, and Engineering (2018). Here are some of her accolades in 2017:
2017 ACWPC Player of the Year
2017 ACWPC First Team All-American
2017 ACWPC All-Academic - Superior
2017 NCAA Tournament MVP
2017 All-NCAA Tournament First Team
2017 Tom Hansen Conference Medal
2017 Peter J. Cutino Award Finalist
2017 CoSIDA Academic All-America At-Large Second Team
2017 MPSF Player of the Year
2017 All-MPSF First Team
2017 MPSF All-Tournament Team
2017 MPSF All-Academic
Professional Career:
Her first appearance was at the 2009 FINA Junior Women’s World Championships in third place in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. After graduating in 2017, she moved to Budapest, Hungary, and won her second FINA World Championship. Later, she played for the season in Barcelona, Spain, then moved back to Long Beach, California, to train for the 2019 Olympics in Tokyo. Although she won many titles and awards in her career, three pivotal years changed her life as a player.
USA Women’s Water Polo 2024 Roster; Maggie Steffens on the first row, center to the right
2012 Summer Olympics
Scored a total of 21 goals; created an Olympic record for the most goals ever scored in women’s water polo.
Team USA won the first ever gold medal for water polo.
Named “Best Female Water Polo Player of 2012” by Fina and Swimming World Magazine.
2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics
(1st Preliminary match) Defeated team Japan with a final score of 25 to 4; a top record for highest winning margin.
(2nd) Defeated team China with a final score of 12 to 7.
(3rd) Lost to team Hungary because of a nose injury in the match with China.
(4th) Defeated team ROC and set a record for the most goals scored by a female water polo player.
She scored 49 goals at the 2020 Olympic Games.
In the gold medal match, USA won against Spain, making her team win their third gold medal in a row; marked as “the number five moment from the 2020 Olympic Games” by FINA.
Steffens celebrating after scoring during a match against Hungary
(Present) 2024 Paris Olympics
No waterpolo team, men or women, has even won four gold medal titles consecutively in the Olympics.
This year, the women’s water polo team are looking towards their next potential gold medal to make another world record.
So far, they struggled at 13 to 11 loss against Spain but later victories sprung over against Italy and France.
Conclusion:
With many accomplishments and accolades, Steffens’s career is a major presence in water polo history. She broke and created new records through her demonstration of leadership, skill, and determination as Team USA’s captain. From graduating from Stanford to World Championships to the Olympics, Steffens is the best example and inspiration for the next generation of water polo athletes, motivating them to be the greatest version of themselves displayed through their ability and sportsmanship.
Sources:
Goulding, Grace. 2024. “US Women’s Water Polo Team Looking to Win Historic Fourth Consecutive Gold Medal.” Olympics.com. International Olympic Committee. June 12, 2024. https://olympics.com/en/news/us-women-water-polo-team-looking-win-historic-fourth-consecutive-gold-medal.
IOC. 2024. “Maggie STEFFENS.” Olympics.com. 2024. https://olympics.com/en/athletes/maggie-steffens.
KCRA 3. 2024. “Olympic Water Polo Captain Maggie Steffens Aims for History in Paris — with Support from Flavor Flav.” YouTube. July 25, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Feu3mww65V4.
“Maggie Steffens - Women’s Water Polo 2017.” 2017. Stanford Cardinal - Official Athletics Website. 2017. https://gostanford.com/sports/womens-water-polo/roster/season/2017/player/maggie-steffens.
Steffens, Maggie. 2014. “Maggie Steffens.” Maggie Steffens. 2014. https://www.maggiesteffens.com/about.
“U.S. Women’s Water Polo Team Go Home Empty-Handed after Bronze Medal Loss in Paris.” 2024. Cbsnews.com. CBS News. August 10, 2024. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-womens-water-polo-team-bronze-medal-loss-netherlands/#.
Wikipedia Contributors. 2024. “Maggie Steffens.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. August 17, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggie_Steffens.