NZ water polo teams ready to dive into FISU World University Games campaign

New Zealand will be proudly represented by both a men’s and women’s team at the 2025 World University Games, set to kick off this week in Duisburg.

The tournament brings together top university athletes from around the globe, and for many of these players, it's a rare opportunity to compete internationally in black and white while gaining valuable high-performance experience.

For the New Zealand sides, it’s a mix of experienced campaigners and fresh faces — with both teams eager to test themselves against elite student-athletes from powerhouse nations in the water polo world.

Competition gets underway on Thursday night (NZ time), however Tauranga-born water polo player Josef Schuler will lead the New Zealand delegation into the opening ceremony on Thursday morning as flag bearer — a proud moment for both him and the wider water polo community.

Women’s team outlook

Led by coaches Megan Thomson and Rachael Roset, the women’s squad blends experience and youth, with several players having represented New Zealand at youth/junior international level. Isabelle Jackson leads the group in experience, having competed at two senior world championships. New Zealand has been drawn into Group A for the preliminary rounds, where they’ll face Japan, USA, and Italy.

Fixtures (Group A): 

• 18 July 2025 @ 12:30am NZST – JPN v NZL
• 18 July 2025 @ 7:15pm NZST – NZL v USA
• 20 July 2025 @ 10:55pm NZST – ITA v NZL

Men’s team outlook

The men’s team enters the competition with momentum, featuring a strong core from the NZ Senior Men’s squad — including players who faced Australia in the recent Oceania qualifier. Others bring international experience from overseas study or events like the U20 World Championships. Led by coach Joe Kayes, the team is set to take on Germany, Hungary, and the USA in Group B.

Fixtures (Group B): 

• 19 July 2025 @ 4:00am NZST – NZL v GER
• 20 July 2025 @ 12:30am NZST – HUN v NZL
• 22 July 2025 @ 12:30pm NZST – USA v NZL

Key information

Competition: 2025 FISU World University Games

Location: Duisburg, Germany

Dates: 17–28 July 2025

Results: https://rhineruhr2025.com/en/schedule#/team-sports-schedule/WPO/*

Live stream (quarter finals onwards will be streamed): https://www.fisu.tv/browse

Team lists

Women

1. Chelsea Oliver (Long Beach State University)
2. Isabelle Jackson (Canterbury / University of Canterbury)
3. Bianca Pennington (Canterbury / University of Canterbury)
4. Georgia Milne (Canterbury / Lincoln University)
5. Riaan Bryant (Marist / Fresno State University)
6. Isabella Broadmore (Atlantis City / University of Canterbury)
7. Georgia Daly (Atlantis City / University of California Davis)
8. Taylor Fisher (Marist / San Jose State University)
9. Georgia Reed (Canterbury / University of Canterbury)
10. Emison Styris (Sea Wolf / Loyola Marymount University)
11. Lauren Batchelor (Canterbury / University of Canterbury)
12. Erin Goldsmith (Atlantis City / Yoobee College of Creative Innovation)
13. Sophie Gardiner (Atlantis City / Auckland University of Technology)

Coaching/Management team: Megan Thomson and Rachael Roset

Men

1. Bae Fountain (Tauranga / University of the Pacific)
2. Ashwyn Keshvara (Marist / Long Beach State University)
3. Gene Baggott (Tauranga / Golden West College)
4. Michael Rodgers (North Harbour / Golden West College)
5. Mitchell Keightley (Waikato / San Jose State University)
6. Daniel Warman (North Harbour / University of the Pacific)
7. Hamish Hegarty (University of Sydney)
8. Ethan Carrington (Tauranga / Golden West College)
9. Flynn Howarth (North Harbour / University of Auckland)
10. Campbell Hulbert (Marist / Victoria University of Wellington)
11. Josef Schuler (Tauranga / University of Sydney)
12. Isaac Schuler (Tauranga / University of Sydney)
13. Matthew Anderson (Canterbury / University of Canterbury)

Coaching/Management team: Joe Kayes and Crystal Barnard