Michigan
Fresno State
Michigan to Begin 2026 Season at Fresno State's Polopalooza
1/14/2026 1:00:00 PM | Water Polo
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 15-ranked University of Michigan water polo program is set to open its 2026 season, traveling to Fresno, Calif., to compete in the seven-team Polopalooza event held at the Bulldogs' Aquatics Center this week. U-M will commence the tournament by playing the host, No. 7 Fresno State, on Friday (Jan. 16) at 6:30 p.m. PT. The Wolverines will take on No. 5 Cal Saturday (Jan. 17) at 12:30 p.m. PT, before closing out the tournament against No. 4 Hawaii on Sunday (Jan. 18) at 9:30 a.m. PT.
Notes
• The Wolverines are ranked tied for 15th with Princeton in the CWPA Top-25 preseason poll released on Wednesday (Jan. 14) U-M closed out its 2025 season ranked 16th.
• U-M returns 18 players who saw game action in 2025, including seniors Riley Chapple and Brooke Ingram, who will be representing the team as captains this season. Chapple finished off the 2025 season playing in all 30 games and has accumulated 40 goals and 57 assists in her time as a Wolverine. Ingram was selected for the All-CWPA Tournament honorable mention team in 2025, and has recorded 50 goals and 14 assists during her career at Michigan.Â
• Sophomore Ari Karampetsou will look to build on her standout performance last season, where she led the team with 106 total points (66 goals and 40 assists), earning her first-team All-CWPA honors. In addition, she was a four-time CWPA Rookie of the Week honoree and named to the 2025 Cutino Watch List.
• Heading into her junior season, Emma Gustafsson will continue to be an attacking threat for the Wolverines. In 2025, as a sophomore, she found the back of the net 49 times and dished out 10 assists in her 59-point season.
• The team will return goalie, Sophia Bunnell, a sophomore out of Coto de Caza, Calif. Bunnell will start in the net for her second season with the Wolverines, following her impressive freshman year, making 196 saves and earning All-CWPA honorable mention recognition.
• U-M added six freshmen to the squad, all hoping to have a big impact in the pool. The group includes Maya Mladjan, the sister of Emilia Mladjan, a current junior for the Wolverines.Â
• Victoria Ridhalgh, a transfer from Sydney, Australia, will join the decorated core of goalkeepers this season after four years competing at Sydney University. In that time, she won the state championships twice and earned MVP honors in 2024. Tyler Jackson will also join the team as a goalkeeper for her freshman year at Michigan.
