Courtesy: Cal Athletics
Cal rising senior and three-time All-American Kitty Lynn Joustra was named to The Netherlands Olympic Team on Thursday.
Joustra becomes the first Cal women’s water polo player (past or current) to officially earn an Olympic berth. Several more are expected to be named over the next week.
Joustra has been one of the most dominant centers in the collegiate game since joining the program in 2018. She was named an ACWPC All-American honorable mention as a freshman and then garnered First Team honors as a sophomore. After sitting out the 2020 season to train with the Dutch team, Joustra was a Second Team All-American last season.
Joustra helped the Bears reach the semifinals of the NCAA Championships in both 2018 and 2019.
“After three elite seasons at Cal, I’ve seen Kitty grow into a world-class student-athlete in the pool and classroom,” Cal head coach Coralie Simmons said. “Hearing that she’s been named to the Olympic team brings me and the program so much joy. Kitty is the model Cal Olympian – smart, talented, confident, extremely hard-working. But most important, she’s the ultimate teammate. We are proud of everything she has accomplished and excited to see her on the world stage representing Cal and The Netherlands.”
The Netherlands qualified for the Tokyo Olympics by placing second at the Olympic Qualification Tournament in January. The Dutch failed to qualify in 2012 and 2016 but won the gold medal in 2008.
The 2020 Olympic women’s water polo competition runs July 24-Aug. 7 at the Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center.