TEMPE, Ariz. - The Arizona State University water polo program will add three promising newcomers to the squad next season, as head coach Todd Clapper announced the 2018 signing class.
The signing class consists of two prospects out of Canada in driver/attacker Blaire McDowell (Martin Collegiate/Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada) and driver/utility Viktoria Orlova (Burnaby South Secondary/Vancouver, B.C.). This class also maintains a successful Aussie pipeline with the addition of utility/center Abbey Freeman (Meriden School/New South Wales, Australia).
"We are thrilled to announce this class of future Sun Devils" Coach Clapper said. "They are all very talented and experienced water polo players that fit our culture, as well."
Blaire McDowell comes to Arizona State with plenty of international experience. She recently was the youngest athlete to be named to Water Polo Canada's roster for the 2017 FINA World Women's Junior Water Polo Championships. She was a teammate of current Sun Devil P.J. Allin. Additionally, McDowell was selected to the Water Polo Canada 17U Women's National Team that won the bronze medal at the 2017 17U Pan American Championships in Peru along with fellow class of 2018 signee Viktoria Orlova.
McDowell belongs to the club Water Polo Saskatchewan, most recently competing for their U-19 club team. McDowell has enjoyed plenty of success with her club team. Led by McDowell, Water Polo Saskatchewan earned its first Canadian senior women's water polo title in Toronto in April. McDowell was selected as the most valuable defensive player of the tournament. A month later, Team Saskatchewan captured the silver medal at the National Championship League water polo finals in Calgary and McDowell was tabbed as the tournament MVP. Her club team also took home first place at the 19U Western Championships with McDowell selected to the tournament's All-Star team.
McDowell attended Park City High School in Utah before moving on to Martin Collegiate in Regina, Saskatchewan. While at Park City, McDowell started a girl's water polo team at the school with her sister. Park City went on to win the 3A state championship with Blaire and her sister receiving co-MVP honors. A multi-sport star at Park City, McDowell was the 3A Utah State Champion in the 100M Breast, winning the race with a record time. She was also a member of the state champion 200 Freestyle relay. While at Martin Collegiate, McDowell served as the team captain of the school's soccer team.
As a youth, she spent time in the pool training for both water polo and swimming. At 12 years old, her time in the 200 Breast was Top-10 in the U.S. She currently holds the Utah state record at her age in the 100 & 200 Breast. McDowell earned a bronze medal in the 200 Breast at the Canadian Junior Nationals.
The strength of her relationship with Coach Clapper, the diversity and inclusiveness of the team, and the living environment are some of the qualities that drew McDowell to ASU.
Coach Clapper shared his excitement about the addition of McDowell, "Blaire is a great teammate and a very versatile player. She has great defensive awareness and excellent speed. On the offensive end, she can score off the drive, the post up, and with a perimeter shot."
We are proud to officially announce the first member of our 2018 signing class Blaire McDowell! #ForksUp #ASUSigningDay ?? pic.twitter.com/qR4IicQZI0
— Sun Devil Water Polo (@SunDevilWP) November 9, 2017
Fellow Canadian Viktoria Orlova gives the Sun Devils incoming class a pair prospects hailing from North of the border. She attended Burnaby South Secondary School and gained international experience on the junior level as part of the Water Polo Canada program. Orlova was the youngest member of Canada's 18-U National Team that participated in the FINA World Women's Youth Water Polo Championships held in Auckland.
She also competed for Team Huntington Beach in the Junior Olympics, where she was named to the 16U All-Tournament Team. The southpaw was selected to the Water Polo Canada 17U Women's National Team for the 2017 17U Pan American Championships in Peru along with fellow class of 2018 signee Blaire McDowell. Team Canada took home the Bronze medal from Peru, the second consecutive medal in the Pan-American Championships for Orlova who was also a member of the silver-medal winning Team Canada at the 2015 Championship in Jamaica.
Orlova is a part of the Pacific Storm Water Polo club based out of Vancouver, British Columbia. Orlova was a leader in the pool for Pacific Storm, resulting in her selection as club MVP for three consecutive years at Pacific Storm (2014-16) and also took home back-to-back MVP honors in her final two seasons at her previous club, Fraser Valley (2012-13). She also received All-Star recognition as a member of Pacific Storm when the club played at the NCL 19U Conference Championship.
Orlova excels outside the classroom as well, receiving a certificate of distinction for finishing in the Top 25-percent in the 2015 Pascal Contest, which is a chance for students to develop their mathematical problem-solving ability. She chose Arizona State because of the prestige of the water polo program, great weather and location, and a wide selection of majors.
"Viktoria is an extremely proficient shooting left-hander" Coach Clapper expressed. "Even at her young age, she knows the best spots to shoot the ball and does so with good power. She can also fill many roles in the offense, as she is a strong post up threat in addition to her outside shooting."
We are excited to announce the addition of Viktoria Orlova to the 2018 signing class! She represents the third member of the class and second from Canada. ?????? #ForksUp #ASUSigningDay pic.twitter.com/EtKYSx4k8q
— Sun Devil Water Polo (@SunDevilWP) November 13, 2017
The third addition to the 2018 Sun Devil Water Polo signing class is Abbey Freeman out of Cronulla, New South Wales a suburb of Sydney. The signing of Freeman is one of several successful recruiting ventures in Australia for Coach Clapper.
Freeman competed at the Cronulla Sharks Water Polo Club located out of Cronulla, where she is a National League member. The Cronulla Sharks play in the National Water Polo League, the premier domestic water polo competition on the continent. Freeman was the leading goal scorer at the U18 National Club Championships, leading Cronulla to a first-place finish on her way to Tournament MVP Honors. She was a member of the 14U Bronze Medal-winning squad at the 14U National Club Championships held in Brisbane in 2014. Freeman scored twice in the bronze medal game, a 5-2 victory for the Sharks.
Freeman was previously selected to the Born 2000 Squad as part of the Australian Junior & Youth Women's Water Polo program. The team participated in a three-week European Tour, facing stiff competition throughout. The Born '00 squad also competed in the Pan Pacific Water Polo Championships. Freeman was part of the "Toward Tokyo" camp, a future Olympians event held in May at the Australian Institute of Sport.
Freeman has had a decorated prep career at the Meriden School, located in New South Wales. Freeman was named the captain of the school's varsity water polo team. Freeman was also selected as the captain of the IGSSA Representative Team, which honors the top athletes of the 30 independent girls' schools within the Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools. Freeman also was the captain of the New South Wales Combined Independent Schools (NWSCIS) Representative team. Additionally, she received New South Wales All-Schools Team honors
Freeman was drawn to Arizona State because of the academic fit, the culture of the water polo program and the facilities.
The future is bright for Abbey Freeman according to Coach Clapper, "Last season, Abbey really took huge steps forward in water polo. She led her team to a championship at the U18 National, was the high goal scorer, and named MVP. At 6'2, we feel that she is just starting to come into her own."
Sun Devils help us welcome the second member of our 2018 signing class, Abbey Freeman from Australia! #ForksUp #ASUSigningDay pic.twitter.com/06hcv2DLbA
— Sun Devil Water Polo (@SunDevilWP) November 10, 2017
According to Coach Clapper, the staff is still working on adding to this already promising signing class.
The first chance to see the Arizona State Water Polo team in action comes on December 10th when the Sun Devils play a double header against the Chinese National Team. A team possessing a combination of returning contributors and talented newcomers looks to build of the momentum of back-to-back 20-win seasons.