Local water polo standouts earn Team USA nods for World Championships

Los Angeles Times

09-07-2025

Five local water polo players will compete for the United States at the 2025 World Aquatics World Championships, which start Thursday in Singapore.
Former Huntington Beach standouts Chase and Ryder Dodd, as well as Newport Harbor graduate Ben Liechty and incoming Sailors senior Connor Ohl, were selected for the men's team.
Emma Lineback, a Laguna Beach alumna, also earned her first World Championships roster spot for the women's tournament.
Liechty, who plays at UCLA, and Ohl, a Stanford commit, are two of seven players who will make their senior team debut for the Team USA men. The United States opens the tournament Friday at 7:35 p.m. Pacific time with a Group C match against Canada.
Two weeks ago, Liechty and Ohl were part of the Junior National Team that helped Team USA earn a silver medal at the World Aquatics Under-20 Championships in Croatia. Ohl's older brother, Ryan, also played for that team and will compete again at the World Championships.
Ryder Dodd, who transferred from Huntington Beach to JSerra after his sophomore year of high school, won the Cutino Award as the top men's collegiate water polo player following his freshman year at UCLA. Chase Dodd, who played all four years for the Oilers, was also a first-team Assn. of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches All-American as a redshirt junior attacker for the Bruins.
Lineback, who also plays at UCLA, was a second-team All-American this year. She had been aiming for the World Championships roster after competing for Team USA in exhibition matches against Spain last month.
The Team USA women were drawn into Group B at the World Championships. They open with a match against China on Thursday at 9:10 p.m. Pacific time.
Lineback is one of seven players making her national team debut for Team USA. The Americans have won gold at eight World Championships, including at the most recent 2024 event in Doha, Qatar.
The women's world championships continue through the championship match scheduled for July 23, while the men's world championship match is on July 24.