The Santa Barbara 805 Water Polo Club has been one of the top youth water polo programs in the nation for years, and it has continued to show its dominance in 2025.
The club has qualified a whopping 13 teams for the 2025 USA Water Polo Junior Olympics set for July in Irvine.
Of those 13 squads, eight have earned spots in the Championship Tournament. The other five will compete in the Classic Division.
“These results speak volumes,” SB 805 Club Director Kelsie Karam said. “We’ve invested in long-term athlete development, and you can see that paying off with multiple teams in the Championship division and younger athletes stepping into leadership roles.”
The Junior Olympics is the largest age-group water polo tournament in the world, featuring thousands of athletes from across the country.
The Championship Tournament qualifiers are the 10U Girls (#1 Seed), 10U Coed (#2 Seed), 12U Girls (#1 Seed), 14U A Girls (#2 Seed), 16U A Girls (#1 Seed), 16U B Girls (#3 Seed), 18U A Girls (#2 Seed) and 18U B Girls (#7 Seed) teams.
Meanwhile, the Classic Tournament qualifiers are the 12U A Boys (#1 Seed), 12U B Boys (#11 Seed), 14U Boys (#4 Seed), 14U B Girls (#2 Seed) and 16U C Girls (#2 Seed) teams.
“Our boys’ and B/C teams worked incredibly hard to earn their spots,” Karam said. “This kind of club-wide success doesn’t happen by accident – it comes from dedication, smart coaching and a culture of accountability.”
With a history of success at the biggest of stages, Santa Barbara 805 will look to keep it rolling in Irvine next month.
Follow Santa Barbara 805 Water Polo Club’s road to Irvine at www.sb805wpc.org and on Instagram @sb805wpc.