Maggie Steffens

Margaret Ann Steffens, born on June 4, 1993, in San Ramon, California, established herself as a notable figure in water polo from an early age. She attended Monte Vista High School, where she contributed to the team’s league championships in 2007, 2008, and 2009. During her high school career, she was recognized as the NCS MVP in 2010 and the Water Polo Player of the Year in 2009. Concurrently, she played club water polo for Diablo, where she secured three Junior Olympic championships and was named Junior Olympic Co-MVP three times.

Steffens continued her athletic and academic pursuits at Stanford University, playing for the women’s water polo team from 2013 to 2017. During her time at Stanford, the team achieved NCAA Championships in 2014, 2015, and 2017. She earned multiple individual accolades, including being named NCAA Tournament MVP in 2017 and being a consistent finalist for the Peter J. Cutino Award. She graduated with a B.S. in Science, Technology, and Society, and later pursued an M.S. in Management, Science, and Engineering from Stanford, demonstrating her commitment to both sport and academic development.

Her international career commenced with her junior debut at the 2009 FINA Junior Women’s World Championships and her senior debut at the 10th Holiday Cup in the same year. A pivotal moment in her career occurred at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, where at 19, she tied the Olympic record for most goals in a single game with seven, and set a new tournament record with 21 goals, leading Team USA to its first Olympic gold medal in women’s water polo. She went on to secure two more Olympic gold medals in 2016 and 2020 (held in 2021). Steffens also became the all-time leading scorer in Olympic women’s water polo history with 56 goals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Her professional club career includes stints with C.N. Sabadell in Spain and UVSE in Budapest, Hungary, where she achieved league championships and European recognition.