Lauren Ashley Wenger (born March 11, 1984) is an American

water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...

player for the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

, who received the 2006 Peter J. Cutino Award as the best collegiate water polo player among Division I NCAA teams. Her position is two-meter defender.

Career

High School

Wenger was

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

n at

Wilson Classical High School Woodrow Wilson High School (colloquially known as Long Beach Wilson) is an American public high school located in Long Beach, California. This two-block campus is located approximately 1.5 miles from the Pacific Ocean, across from the Recreation ...

in Long Beach, California, and earned a scholar-athlete award all four years. In 2002, she played on the US National Team that won the Pan-American Championship. From 2003 to 2006 she attended

USC USC may refer to: Education United States * Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico * University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina ** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina * ...

, where in her senior year she led her

Trojans Trojan or Trojans may refer to: * Of or from the ancient city of Troy * Trojan language, the language of the historical Trojans Arts and entertainment Music * ''Les Troyens'' ('The Trojans'), an opera by Berlioz, premiered part 1863, part 1890 ...

team in steals and assists, becoming no. 8 all-time scorer with 127 career goals. In 2004, Wengers team won the NCAA championship. Wenger is a member of the U.S National Team, helping Team USA win silver at the 2005

Water Polo World Championship Water polo at the World Aquatics Championships is an international water polo tournament held every two years as part of the World Aquatics Championships. The reigning champions are Croatia men's national water polo team, Croatia in men's and the ...

. At USC, she majored in policy, planning and development.

Professional career

She played her first international season for the Greek powerhouse

Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós (, Olympic Association of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number of different competitive departments which participate in football, ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

in 2006–2007. At the 2008 China Summer Olympic games, she and the American team lost 8-9 in the

championship game A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional/provincial/state, national, continental and world championships, and ...

to the Netherlands and took home the silver medal. In June, 2009, Wenger was named to the USA water polo women's senior national team for the

2009 FINA World Championships The 2009 World Aquatics Championships () or the XIII FINA World Championships were held in Rome, Italy from 18 July to 2 August 2009. This was the second time the championships were held in the city after being previously hosted in 1994. The 20 ...

.Roster Announced For 2009 FINA Women's World Championships
, June 24, 2009. In 2011, Wenger placed 6th in the FINA World Championships with Team USA. In August 2012, she won the gold medal in London 2012 Olympic Games with the US team, defeating Spain in the final match.

Awards

In 2019, Wenger was inducted into the

USA Water Polo Hall of Fame The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguou ...

References

External links