Leah Robertson (L), Cassie Wyckoff (R)

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. --A pair of Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) student-athletes and one of the league's head coaches will represent their nation next month as former University of Michigan standout Leah Robertson (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor) and Indiana University goalie Cassie Wyckoff (Los Altos, Calif./Los Altos) were among 13 players selected to the USA Women's World University Games roster by Team USA/Michigan head coach Matt Anderson.

This summer's games will be held in Shenzhen, China from August 12-23.  The international sporting competition is staged every two years in a different city, with the summer games consisting of 12 compulsory sports and up to three optional sports chosen by the host country. 

The United States World University Games roster is limited to collegiate athletes that are within a year of their last collegiate competition. The 13 players that comprise the American team are considered members of USA Water Polo's Senior 'B' Team and earn a guaranteed try-out to represent the USA in the 2016 Olympic Games.

Team USA has been slotted in Group B along with Australia, France, Russia and Mexico.  The team will open competition on August 12 against Australia.

The World University Games are open to all student-athletes that have not been out of college for more than a year and that are between 17 and 28 years old.  Entries are accepted from any country which is eligible for the Olympic Games and from any national federation which is affiliated with an appropriate international federation.

Visit the official World University Games website to learn more about the competition.

Leah Robertson

A three-time All-America selection with third team accolades in 2009 and 2010 following an honorable mention nod in 2008, Robertson concluded her time in Maize & Blue following the 2010 season. Despite an injury that kept her out of the line-up during the middle of her senior season, she earned Most Valuable Player accolades for the CWPA Western Division and at the CWPA Eastern Championship in leading the Wolverines to their third consecutive Eastern crown. Robertson dented the twine a career high 45 times as she strung together her third straight 50-point season. She is the only Wolverine to earn a repeat selection to an NCAA All-Tournament team, picking up a nomination for the third-straight season at the 2010 championship.

Cassie Wyckoff

A rising senior, Wyckoff earned Most Valuable Player laurels in leading the Hoosiers to the 2011 CWPA Eastern Championship at home against Michigan.  A four-time Defensive Player of the Week selection last season, she started all 39 games this season for the Hoosiers, including three at the NCAA Championship hosted by Michigan. The IU single-season saves record holder with 348 stops in 2011, Wyckoff contributed 47 steals and dished out 22 assists during her junior season.  For her career, she has 752 saves, good for second on the school's all-time list.

Matt Anderson

Under the guidance of Matt Anderson, Michigan has become the pinnacle program of eastern water polo and is consistently amongst the nations elite every season. A three-time Collegiate Water Polo Association Coach of the Year honoree and five-time division Coach of the Year, Anderson boasts a 268-94 (.740) record after completeing his ninth season at the helm for the Maize and Blue.

A firm believer in developing complete players, Anderson emphasizes putting forth the same effort to all aspects of the game. His hard-nosed defensive philosophy and aggressive offensive style have produced an Olympic goalkeeper in Betsey Armstrong (2002-05), eight divisional most valuable players and 21 AWPCA All-Americas selections -- including World University Games athlete Leah Robertson.

His teams have enjoyed great success both in the conference and on the national stage. The 2010 campaign marked the fourth time during Anderson's tenure that Michigan advanced to the NCAA Championship. Making their third trip in as many seasons, the Wolverines were the fifth-seed at the 2010 NCAA Championship, setting a new standard for a CWPA team since the NCAA field expanded to eight teams. Michigan finished in fifth place at the 2009 national tournament, earning a program and conference record No. 7 ranking in the final national poll led by Robertson became the first Wolverine to earn a repeat selection to the NCAA Championship All-Tournament team, earning three-straight honors from 2008-10.

The preeminent program of the CWPA Western Division, U-M has claimed the division crown in each of Anderson's first nine seasons. Anderson led the Wolverines to a Southern Division title in his first season and remains the lone coach to claim a Western Division crown since realignment took place prior to the 2004 campaign. Under his tutelage, Michigan players have earned 47 nominations to the all-division team.

Michigan has made it to the championship game of the CWPA Eastern Championship in all but two campaigns under Anderson. At the conference championship, the Wolverines claimed titles in 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2010 and have placed 19 players on the all-tournament team. Anderson coached current USA National Team goalie Betsey Armstrong, All-America selection Julie Hyrne and Robertson to championship Most Valuable Player honors in 2005, 2008 and 2010, respectively.

Anderson's teams have made a habit of re-writing the record books on a yearly basis. After establishing the program's highest victory total (35) in 2009, the Wolverines set a new program standard for winning percentage (.865) and fewest losses (5) during the 2011 campaign.

Michigan has not taken the easy road to success, having played 180 nationally-ranked teams during Anderson's tenure. In 2010, the Wolverines were 14-5 against ranked opposition, improving their record under Anderson to 89-91 against the nation's best programs. On Feb. 27, 2010, Michigan became the first CWPA team to win against a top-five opponent since the beginning of the modern era with a victory over No. 3-ranked University of Hawaii.

Anderson's accomplishments have earned him the distinction of CWPA `Doc Hunkler' Coach of the Year on three occasions - taking home the hardware in 2005, 2008 and 2009. On the divisional level, Anderson was named a coach of the year three times between 2004 and 2006 and added three more to his collection from 2009 through 2011.

Beyond his coaching duties, Anderson is highly involved in the promotion and growth of the women's water polo game. In February, 2008, he was appointed to the NCAA Women's Water Polo Committee. His term of service on the committee commenced on Sept. 1, 2008, and will run through Sept. 1, 2012. The water polo committee oversees the conduct of the NCAA Championship and playing rules.

Anderson is a member of the five-person board of directors for the Collegiate Water Polo Association as voted by his fellow collegiate coaches. He also holds the position as treasurer for the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches and is ardently involved with USA Water Polo.

Anderson is also currently the head coach of the United States Women's Senior National 'B' Team and is an assistant coach with the United States men's youth national team - formerly the U.S. cadet team. He previously was the head coach of the national youth `B' team for five years (1999-2003). Anderson helped lead the 16-and-under cadet team to a gold medal at the 2007 Pan American U18 Youth Championships. During the summer of 2006, he helped the squad to seventh at the 16-and-under World Championships - the United States' highest placing at the competition. He was also selected as one of four coaches at the 2009 USA Water Polo Speedo Top 40 competition, coaching a team featuring Armstrong and Robertson.

Prior to Michigan, Anderson spent the 2001 season as an assistant coach at Indiana University, where he was responsible for the Hoosiers' recruiting and conditioning. During his tenure at Indiana, the Hoosiers improved from No. 20 in the nation to a then-school-best No. 14. Prior to coaching at Indiana, Anderson was an assistant coach at San Jose State (1999-2001), where he helped his alma mater reach a top-five national ranking.

From 1997-2001, Anderson served as the Zone Six head development coach for the Boy's 19-and-under development camps, the second largest water polo member zone in the United States. His responsibilities included recruitment, selection and implementation of water polo programs for future Olympians.

Before coaching in the collegiate ranks, Anderson achieved over 200 victories in 11 years as a coach at the high school level. He was the head coach as Los Gatos High School in Los Gatos, Calif., from 1993-2000. He started the girls program and coached the team for two years along with an eight year stint at the helm of the boys team. Over that time, he compiled more than 170 victories, three league titles and one finals appearance in the CIF/CSS divisional playoffs. In 1999, he was named the California Interscholastic Federation/C.C.S. Honor Coach of the Year for his devotion to students and the game of water polo at the high school level. Anderson spent the three previous years at Newbury Park High School in Thousand Oaks, Calif., serving as the head coach for boy's water polo and girl's and boy's swimming from 1991-93. He started his coaching career as the head coach of boy's water polo at Santa Clara High School in Santa Clara, Calif., in 1990.

Prior to entering the coaching profession, he spent seven years as the city youth coordinator for Sunnyvale, Calif. In that position, he was responsible for school to career development for area youth, including programs for at-risk and teen parents.

2011 Team USA Women's World University Games Roster
C - Kimberly Benedetti (LMU '12/Stanford WPF)
AA- Caroline Clark (UCLA '12/Bruin WPC)
A - Nadia Dan (USC '12/LA Water Polo Club)
D - Forel Davies (USC '10/San Diego Shores)
A - Alyssa Lo (Stanford '12/Stanford WPF)
A - Pallavi Menon (Stanford '12/Stanford WPF)
GK - Amber Oland (Stanford '11/SoCal)
D - Julia Oreglia (California '11/Olympic Club)
C - Grace Reynolds (UCLA '11/NYAC)
D - Leah Robertson (Michigan '10/Newport WPF)
AA - Stephanie Schnugg (California '10/NYAC)
A - Adrianna Vogt (San Jose State '12/Norcal WPC)
GK - Cassie Wyckoff (Indiana '12/Stanford WPF)

Head Coach: Matt Anderson (University of Michigan - Head Coach)
Assistant Coach: Susan Ortwein (Stanford University - Associate Head Coach)
Assistant Coach: Brandon Brooks (UCLA - Head Coach)
Manager: Ashley Papenbrock