Danville's Maggie Steffens Continues Family's Water Polo Dynasty

DANVILLE, CA — Maggie Steffens, who hails from Danville, is having a good season. She scored three goals against Spain Friday to help the USA Water Polo Women’s National Team claim its 53rd straight victory and in the process win the 2019 FINA World Championship in Gwangju, South Korea.

The final championship score was 11-6, and it marks the third straight World Championship for the USA Women — a record for any men’s or women’s program and sixth overall in team history joining titles in 2003, 2007, 2009, 2015 and 2017.

The 26-year-old Steffens graduated from Danville's Monte Vista High School in 2012, and in 2018 she finished at Stanford University with a Master's degree in science and engineering, according to her Team USA bio.

She's definitely a high achiever. In addition to her impressive college career, Steffens is a two-time Olympic gold medalist in her sport: Rio (2016) and London (2012). She was named MVP of the 2012 Olympic tournament and set the Olympic record for most goals scored in women’s water polo with 21, according to her bio.

During that 2012 contest, Steffens' older sister Jessica also played on the team, adding to the family's cache of Olympic medals (Just as impressive, Jessica also took home a silver medal during the 2008 Games in Beijing.)

Maggie is also co-founder of 6-8 Sports, Inc., a platform connecting data and technology for youth athlete development currently focused on the sport of water polo.

Maggie and Team USA now prepare for the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, with competition starting August 4. No doubt Maggie will come ready to compete: As team captain, she's in the starting lineup. See full roster and schedule information for the event.

Although the team is solely focused on the PanAm Games ahead, there is another prize that awaits. In June, Team USA won the gold medal at the FINA World League Super Final with a 10-9 defeat over Italy in the championship match in Budapest, Hungary. With that victory, the U.S. women's team officially earned its place in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.