All-County water polo player Aria Fischer has withdrawn from two-time defending CIF Division 1 champion Laguna Beach and will miss her junior season this winter to train full-time with the U.S. national team, her father, Erich, confirmed.
Fischer’s older sister, Makenzie Fischer, also is training full-time with the national team. Makenzie, a 2015 graduate of Laguna Beach and two-time Register player of the year, deferred her freshman year at Stanford to train with the U.S. women’s squad.
During the summer, Makenzie helped the Stars and Stripes capture the FINA world championship title.
Aria also shined for the U.S. women over the summer. She was helped the U.S. junior women capture a FINA world title, earning tournament MVP honors.
Aria will be studying online and plans to return to Laguna Beach for her senior year, Erich said. She was a first-team All-County selection last season after racking up 93 goals, 44 assists and 44 steals as a sophomore.
Aria’s move is similar to a decision made by Corona del Mar’s Maddie Musselman after last season. The class of 2016 UCLA commit withdrew from school to train full-time with the national team and helped the Americans capture a world title in the summer.
Coach Adam Krikorian’s U.S. squad will attempt to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in March.
Please send water polo news to Dan Albano at dalbano@ocregister.com or on Twitter at @ocvarsityguy
