A Mesa-based water polo team is looking for members as it works to expand a Valley-wide league, including a Queen Creek team that’s now being formed.
The Topaz Water Polo Club was formed in 2020 for a couple of reasons, according to Mariah Hagemann, who has club program manager oversees tournament planning, travel coordination, and the overall development of the athletes and teams.
“While most local youth sports focus on land-based activities, we saw a need for greater access to aquatic sports – especially water polo, said Hagemann. “So we set out to create something different: local, affordable, high-quality programs that give families access to the sport without the high cost or travel burden.”
The club practices at Kino Aquatic Center in Mesa and Chandler Aquatics Center, led by collegiate and national-level coaches, including John Cogliandro, head coach at Ottawa University.
John Cogliandro coaches the East Valley teams in the budding water polo league, including a new Queen Creek team.
He also coaches the budding league’s teams, which current comprise three from the East Valley and one from the West Valley. He also will be coaching a new team that’s forming in Queen Creek.
“Over the past year, we’ve been building a growing youth water polo community in Mesa and Chandler, offering kids ages 8–18 the opportunity to learn and compete in a fast-paced Olympic team sport that has historically had little presence in Arizona,” Hagemann said.
She said Arizona’s first community-based youth water polo league is focused on providing “consistent local competition.”
“Right now, most teams travel long distances and pay high tournament fees, limiting who can participate,” she explained. “Our goal is to remove those barriers and grow the sport in our own backyard.”
“Water polo is one of the most challenging and rewarding team sports,” she added, “and we want to spread awareness, build access, and open doors for East Valley kids.”
The Topaz Water Polo Club current counts about 40 athletes across all ages.
The youth program serves ages 6-18 and a women’s and men’s masters program is available to people 18 and older, though Hagemann said, “Our main focus is youth development.”
“We recently sent a team to the 2025 Junior Olympics in California, the largest youth water polo tournament in the country,” she noted. “We also compete in local and regional events throughout the year and are continuing to build toward consistent national competition.”
Hagemann, who was been playing water polo since she was a kid and belongs to Topaz’s women’s masters team, said, “We’re in the pilot phase of launching the league.
“We’ve already run several scrimmage days and mini-tournaments, and are now finalizing rules, structure, and scheduling in preparation for a full launch this coming spring.”
While finding available public pools “used to be one of our biggest hurdles,” Hagemann said, “We’ve made great progress. We now have consistent pool time secured, which gives us the ability to run regular practices and games across multiple sites.”
The club is co-ed, especially for our younger groups ages 6–14. For older athletes, there are both co-ed and gender-specific practices.
Currently, Topaz is offering free trial weeks. “No prior experience is required,” Hagemann said, “just a willingness to learn and have fun in the water.”
To learn more: topazwaterpoloclub.com.
