LOUDONVILLE, NY – Freshman Bianca Prinsloo is already making a name for herself before her collegiate debut, as she was called up to the South African Water Polo National Team roster for the 2018 FINA Water Polo World Cup being held Surgut, Russia starting Sept. 4.

Prinsloo will be one of 13 players on the roster for the World Cup, which will host the top eight countries in the world. South Africa is a part of Group B, which comprises of the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. Group A will be Spain, China, Australia, and Russia. South Africa is already in their best finishing position in history, as their previous top FINA World Championships finish came in 2013 when they were 15^th.

"We are very happy and proud of Bianca for being able to represent her country of South Africa at the World Cup," said Siena Water Polo Head Coach Tamara Perea. "In doing so, she will be representing her team here at Siena as well. As an incoming freshman for the Saints, she will definitely be making a splash with us when she comes back and attends her first class."

Prinsloo, a native of Randburg, South Africa, is a utility that Perea is excited about adding to the roster. She was a gold medalist in 2016 at the EU Nations Cup as a member of the U-17 South African team. Prinsloo also won a silver in the same competition in 2017 as a member of the U-19 team, and was St. Stithians Sportswoman of the Year across all sports in South Africa. She will be majoring in computer science at Siena.

South Africa will debut on Tuesday in a matchup with Canada, then will face the United States on Wednesday before concluding the group stage on Thursday against New Zealand.