| Maggie Steffens | |
| Fullname: | Margaret Ann Steffens |
| Nationality: | American |
| Birth Date: | 4 June 1993 |
| Birth Place: | San Ramon, California, U.S. |
| Height: | 5 ft 8 in |
| Weight: | 165 lb |
| Country: | United States |
| Sport: | Water polo |
| Collegeteam: | Stanford University |
| Show-Medals: | no |
| Updated: | February 16, 2024 |
Margaret Ann Steffens (born June 4, 1993) is an American professional water polo player. She won the gold medal with the United States at the 2012, 2016[1] and 2020 Summer Olympics.[2] At the 2020 Summer Olympics, Steffens set a new Olympic record for the most goals scored by an individual player in women's water polo at the Olympic Games.
Steffens played water polo at Monte Vista High School and helped the team win their league championship in 2007, 2008, and 2009.[3] She also played for Diablo Water Polo in Alamo, California.[4]
Steffens attended Stanford University, playing on the women's water polo team from2013 to 2017. Steffens lead the team to NCAA championships in 2014, 2015, and 2017,and to second-place finishes in 2013 and 2016.
In 2015, Steffens scored four goals in the semifinal game against USC, which Stanford won, 9–8. In 2017, she scored three goals in Stanford's 8-7 championship victory against UCLA, including the winning goal with 9 seconds left. In 2015 and again in 2017 she was named the MVP of the NCAA tournament.[5] [6] [7] [8]
Steffens graduated from Stanford in June, 2017 with a B.S. degree in Science, Technology, and Society.[9]
Her first international appearance was at the 2009 FINA Junior Women's World Championships in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, finishing in third place.[10]
Steffens also made her senior debut at the age of 16, at the 10th Holiday Cup in Newport Beach, California, from December 9 to 13, 2009, where she scored twice.[11]
Steffens played on the United States national water polo team which won the 2010 FINA World League Super Final and the 2010 FINA World Cup. She scored the winning goal against Australia in the final match of the FINA World League Super Final.[12]
In 2011, Steffens helped the U.S. win the 2011 FINA World League Super Final again. In the Pan American Games, she scored the winning goal in the shootout of the final match, as the U.S. defeated Canada.[12]
The U.S. won the FINA World League Super Final for the third straight year in 2012, and Steffens led the team with 11 goals.[12]
See also: Water polo at the 2012 Summer Olympics. In the first match of the Summer Olympics, Steffens scored seven goals to tie the Olympic single-game record.[13] She scored 21 total goals in the Olympics, which set a new Olympic record for most goals scored in a women's water polo tournament, as the U.S. won the gold medal.[14] [15]
The gold medal Steffens helped win at the 2012 Summer Olympics was the first Olympic gold medal, men's or women's, won by the United States in the sport of water polo at an Olympic Games since the sport's debut at the Olympic Games.[16]
She was named the Best Female Water Polo Player of 2012 by FINA and the 2012 female Water Polo Player of the Year by Swimming World Magazine.[17] [18]
See also: Water polo at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Steffens was the top goalscorer at the 2016 Olympics with 17 goals, as the U.S. again won the gold medal.[19]
See also: Water polo at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
In the first match of the 2020 Summer Olympics water polo tournament in Tokyo, Japan on Saturday July 24, 2021, Steffens helped the USA team win against their opponent, team Japan, with a final score of 25 to 4. She tied for the spot of top scorer in the match with 5 goals.[20] Her first goal was 21 seconds after the start of the match.[21] The score of 25 to 4 set a new Olympic record in the winning margin for a tournament match in women's water polo, the record lasted a few hours until Spain won over South Africa with a score of 29 to 4.[20] [21]
In the second match of the tournament against team China, Steffens scored once and left the pool twice to receive medical attention after being cut on her nose.[22] [23] Eight of her teammates also scored goals and team USA won the match with a final score of 12 to 7.[23]
Steffens chose to play in the third match of the preliminary round of competition against team Hungary, though the blow that had inflicted a cut on her nose in the match against team China had also broken her nose.[24] She scored one goal for her team in the match against team Hungary, bringing her within four goals of becoming the highest scoring woman in the history of water polo at the Olympic Games.[25] Team Hungary won the match with ten goals to team USA's nine goals.[16] [25] [26]
In the fourth and final match of the preliminary round matches for team USA, Steffens contributed to final score of 18 to 5 that helped the team win against team ROC.[27] [28] [29] In the match, Steffens scored her 49th goal at the Olympic Games and set a new Olympic record in the most goals scored by a female water player over the course of their athletic career competing at the Olympic Games.[30] [27] [29] [31]
In the quarterfinal match in the elimination rounds of competition, team USA competed against team Canada and won in a final score of 16 to 5 with Steffens scoring three of the goals for team USA.[32] In the team USA semifinal match against team ROC, Steffens scored three of the goals for team USA, the team won with a final score of 15 to 11 and advanced to the gold medal match against team Spain.[33] In the gold medal match, team USA won the gold medal in dominating fashion over Spain, 14 to 5, with Steffens scoring one of the goals for the team.[34] The USA women's water polo team winning their third Olympic gold medal in a row was chosen by FINA as the number five moment from the 2020 Olympic Games.[35]
In January 2018, Steffens signed contract with Hungarian professional club UVSE from Budapest.[36] On May 10, 2018, she won the Hungarian Championship.
In the summer of 2018, she transferred to Spanish Club Natació Sabadell winning three titles: Spanish Cup, Spanish Championship and LEN Euro League.[37]
Steffens was born in San Ramon, California to Peggy Schnugg and Carlos Steffens. She is the youngest of four children (Jessica, Charlie and Teresa). Her father, a native of Puerto Rico, became interested in the sport of water polo after witnessing a match as a child in Puerto Rico. He played for Puerto Rico in three Pan American Games. Her father left the island and joined the water polo team of Berkeley, University of California where he became a three-time All-American, leading the California Golden Bears to the 1977 NCAA championship.[38] [39] [40] In 1979, he was the PAC-10 player of the year in water polo.[41]
Maggie Steffens lives in Danville, California. She became interested and was influenced in the sport of water polo mainly by her father and sister, Jessica Steffens, who is also on the United States national team.[12]
Steffens became an advisor to women's sports website Just Women's Sports in 2020.[42] She said her goal in working with the company was to increase the awareness of the number of female role models in sports.