COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 6, 2022) – As the NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship continues in Gulf Shores, Ala., numerous players and coaches from USA Volleyball’s Beach National Team Development Program (NTDP) are shining brightly.
Thirty-six athletes and 10 coaches among the eight teams still competing have Beach NTDP experience. Headlining the athletes are reigning U19 world champions Megan Kraft and Delaynie Maple, who play for USC but have not paired together this college season. The two won the FIVB Beach Volleyball U19 World Championship last December in Thailand.
All members of the 2021 Beach U21 National Team – Maddie Anderson (Florida State), Caitlin Godwin (Florida State), Raelyn White (Florida State), Lexy Denaburg (UCLA), Audrey Nourse (USC) and Nicole Nourse (USC) – are also at Gulf Shores. Anderson, Godwin, N. Nourse and White represented the U.S. at the U21 Beach World Champs last year.
Six athletes on last year’s Beach Collegiate National Team are still in contention for the NCAA title.
The coaches at the NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship are also immensely talented. Two-time Olympian and 2000 gold medalist Dain Blanton is head coach at USC, and fellow two-time Olympian Nick Lucena is a volunteer assistant at Florida State. Loyola Marymount assistant coach Angie Akers coached 2020 Olympic gold medalists Alix Klineman/April Ross in Tokyo last year.
In all, eight coaches have either playing or coaching experience with Beach NTDP, and seven are part of the Beach NTDP Scouting Network.
The complete list of Beach NTDP athletes and coaches among the final eight teams at the NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship is as follows:
Florida State
Maddie Anderson – 2021 Beach U21 National Team
Alaina Chacon – 2021 Beach Collegiate National Team, 2020 Beach Collegiate National Team
Caitlin Godwin – 2021 Beach U21 National Team
Caitlin Moon – NTDP Experience
Jordan Polo – 2020 Beach Collegiate National Team
Liz Waters-Leiga – 2020 Beach Collegiate National Team
Raelyn White – 2021 Beach U21 National Team
Georgia State
Courtney Smith – NTDP Experience
Loyola Marymount
Megan Rice – 2021 Beach Collegiate National Team
Louisiana State
Bella Bauman – 2020 Beach Collegiate National Team; 2019 Beach U21 World Championship
Sydney Moore – 2020 Beach Collegiate National Team
Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope – 2020 Beach Collegiate National Team
TCU
Hailey Hamlett – NTDP Experience
UCLA
Lexy Denaburg – 2021 Beach Collegiate National Team, 2021 Beach U21 National Team
Katie Hashman – NTDP Experience
Caitlyn Kyle – NTDP Experience
Sophie Moore – NTDP Experience
Natalie Myszkowski – NTDP Experience
Devon Newberry – 2019 Beach U19 World Championship, 2018 Youth Olympic Games
Jessie Smith – NTDP Experience
Lindsay Sparks – 2020 Beach Collegiate National Team, 2019 Beach U19 World Championship, 2018 Youth Olympic Games
Abby Van Winkle – 2021 Beach Collegiate National Team, 2020 Beach Collegiate National Team
Tessa Van Winkle – NTDP Experience
USC
Olivia Bakos – NTDP Experience
Ava Gallien – NTDP Experience
Harper Hallgren – 2020 Beach Collegiate National Team
Hailey Haward – 2020 Beach Collegiate National Team
Megan Kraft – 2021 Beach Collegiate National Team, 2021 Beach U19 National Team, 2021 Beach U19 World Championship, 2018 U19 World Championship
Delaynie Maple – 2021 U19 Beach National Team, 2021 Beach U19 World Championship, 2018 U19 World Championship
Audrey Nourse – 2021 U21 Beach National Team, 2020 Beach Collegiate National Team
Nicole Nourse – 2021 U21 Beach National Team, 2020 Beach Collegiate National Team
Caroline Shafer – 2019 Beach U21 World Championship
Julia Scoles – 2021 Beach Collegiate National Team
Sunny Villapando – 2020 Beach Collegiate National Team
Coaches
Angie Akers – LMU assistant coach – 2020-21 U.S. Beach National Team coach
Dain Blanton – USC head coach – 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist, two-time Olympian (2000, 2004)
Russell Brock – LSU head coach – 2020 Women’s Beach Collegiate National Team assistant, NTDP Scouting Network
Hector Gutierrez – TCU head coach – 2020 Women’s Beach Collegiate National Team assistant, NTDP Scouting Network
Nick Lucena – Florida State volunteer assistant – Two-time Olympian (2016, 2020)
John Mayer – Loyola Marymount head coach – 2021 Women’s Beach Collegiate National Team head coach, 2020 Men’s Beach Collegiate National Team head coach, NTDP Scouting Network
Stein Metzger – UCLA head coach – 2021 Beach U19 National Team coach, Olympian (2004), NTDP Scouting Network
Brooke Niles – Florida State head coach – NTDP Scouting Network
Gustavo Rocha – USC assistant coach – NTDP Scouting Network
Beth Van Fleet – Georgia State head coach – 2021 Beach U21 National Team coach, NTDP Scouting Network