LA JOLLA, Calif. – Two alumni of the UC San Diego women's water polo team, Ciara Franke ('22) and Sarah Lizotte ('14) have been invited to the USA Water Polo Senior National Team Training Camp in preparation for the upcoming FINA World Championships.
 
"I couldn't be more proud of Ciara and Sarah," said UC San Diego head coach Brad Kreutzkamp. "They have a long road in front of them, but to be recognized as some of the best players in the country shows the diligence to their hard work and certainly reflects well on the things we do at UC San Diego. Both of them are such different players and I can't wait to potentially see them playing together after coaching them separately for so many years. I wish them the best of luck!"

The pair of former Tritons join notable Big West opponents from the 2022 season, with Long Beach State's Mariah Walker and UC Irvine's Tara Prentice also receiving invitations to practice with the USA Water Polo team. Franke also competed twice this season against Maddie Musselman of UCLA, who took the 2020 and 2021 seasons off from competing with the Bruins to compete for the USA Olympic team before returning to Westwood this season.
 
The USA Women's National Team plans on holding two training camps in the coming weeks, with a group of newcomers coming to camp first, before being joined by returning players in preparation for the FINA World Championships, which are being held in Budapest, Hungary from June 20 to July 3.
 
Ciara Franke is a three-time ACWPC All-American (2022 honorees have not yet been announced) and a two-time All-Big West First Team selection, being recognized as the 2021 Big West Player of the Year in 2021. This season, Franke became the sixth-highest goalscorer in UC San Diego history (207) and finished her collegiate career tied for eighth all-time at UC San Diego in steals (163). On her way to leading the Tritons with 53 goals and finishing second on the team in steals with 24, Franke finished fifth in the Big West in goals and tenth in steals. Notably, she netted goals in 16-straight matches to begin the season and in the final match of the regular season was named Harper Cup MVP, with four goals and three steals against San Diego State on April 16.
 
Sarah Lizotte is a four-time ACWPC All-America First Team selection and two-time Division II Player of the Year. With the Tritons, Lizotte earned All-WWPA First Team honors three times and was twice the WWPA Player of the Year. One of the most awarded athletes in UC San Diego history, Lizotte was named a UCSD Athlete of the Year three times. Lizotte holds a special place in UC San Diego history, as she is the only player in program history to score 90-plus goals in a single season, reaching this mark in each of her final three seasons. Lizotte is UC San Diego's all-time leader in goals (321) and assists (176).

About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 37 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.