BERKELEY – The Cal women's water polo program's 2018 recruiting class is an impressive haul, featuring an elite mixture of home-grown prospects with vast experience in the Team USA water polo program along with an accomplished group of international student-athletes.
 
Golden Bears head coach Coralie Simmons announced the signings of six student-athletes Thursday – Carson Broad of Orinda, CA; Grace Raisin of Santa Barbara, CA; Jolie Trujillo of Alamo, CA; Kitty-Lynn Joustra of Purmerland,The Netherlands; Brigit Mulder of Nunspeet, The Netherlands and Elli Protopapas of Athens, Greece.
 
"This is a really well-rounded class," Simmons said. "We recruit talented athletes, but also athletes that fit our system, and more than anything, our culture. Their intent is to come in and win championships, but also win in the classroom and check all the boxes, not only in the pool but out of the pool."
 
Broad, Raisin and Trujillo have each spent extensive time in the USA Water Polo National Team Pipeline Program. Broad played for the U.S. Cadet National Team for two years and the U.S. Youth National Team this year. She is a two-time All-North Coast Section selection as well as a two-time All-Diablo Foothill Athletic League pick.
 

"Carson is fast, explosive, and continuing to make jumps both at the club and USA Water Polo level," Simmons said. "I'm excited to see her be an impact player early in her career at Cal."
 
Raisin is also a current member of the U.S. Youth National Team and spent time with the Cadet National Team as well. She is an All-CIF and All-Channel League selection, as well as a three-time USA Water Polo Academic All-American.
 

"Grace comes from an elite club that emphasizes the skill sets to play at this level," Simmons said. "She will know how to make an impact in college during her early years. She will be a nice addition for our center play."
 
Trujllo has also spent time with the Cadet and Youth National Programs and is a three-time All-North Coast Section pick. She also was a NISCA/Speedo All-American in high school.
 

 "Jolie is the quintessential water polo "utility" athlete," Simmons said. "She can do everything really well and is very smart on the offensive and defensive ends. She should contribute in several categories, which is not easy to find."
 
Mulder and Joustra helped The Netherlands take the bronze medal at the 2017 FINA World Junior Championships and both have seen time with the Dutch Senior National Team as well.
 

 "Brigit is very athletic," Simmons said. "She is a well-rounded attacker and defender. Not only is she's athletically gifted, but she works hard at her trade. Both with allow her to do some serious damage on the college scene."
 
Joustra is a center who also possesses an extensive amount of international experience. She and Mulder also helped The Netherlands win the gold medal at the 2016 U19 European Championships.
 

 
"Kitty is new on the scene for their senior team and has made big jumps with getting a lot of playing time," Simmons said. "She's fast, tall, explosive and one of the strongest centers on the international scene. We're excited to have her for the next four years."
 
Protopapas is an attacker with a wealth of international experience playing for the Greek National Program. She has appeared in numerous international tournaments for Greece since becoming part of the country's national team in 2015. She helped the Greek take the silver medal at the 2017 FINA Junior World Championships this summer.
 

 
"Elli is fast, explosive and has a ton of international and club experience in Greece in one of the top club systems in the world," Simmons said. "We're looking forward to see how that translates to the college game. She should be able to bring immense experience to a roster that's looking for more worldly flair in the coming years."
 
"As a whole, this is such a balanced class that comes in with an incredible amount of talent and experience," Simmons added. "Throughout the recruiting process, they each spoke so passionately about being a part of a program where they would get a world-class education and pursue water polo at the highest level. We couldn't be happier to welcome these student-athletes to the Cal Family."
 
The 2018 Bears open the season in January.