Four New Trojans Top Off USC’s 2020 Roster

USC men's water polo's bumper crop of incoming 2020 talent has grown four Trojans stronger with the addition of Ashworth Molthen, Thor Olafson, Josh Waldoch and Marko Karaman. The foursome joins seven other new Trojans who signed national letters of intent in November 2019, making the group 11 men strong for 2020, USC head coach Marko Pintaric has announced.

The newest addition is Ashworth Molthen, a transfer from UCLA, where he scored 70 goals and earned All-America Honorable Mention during his two seasons in Westwood. He was the Bruins' second leading scorer in 2019. A native of Buena Park, he prepped at Orange Lutheran High. A four-time high school All-American and All-CIF selection, he was the 2016 CIF Player of the Year. A 6-foot-3 driver, Molthen also is a member of the U.S. Junior National Team and was on the Team USA roster for the 2019 and 2017 FINA Junior World Championships.

"Ash comes to us as a highly recruited player who is now an All-American and who is a very intelligent player" Pintaric said of UCLA transfer Molthen. "A versatile lefty on the right side, he is able to play as a driver and can post up. Ash is a great addition to our team offensively and defensively."

Canadian Thor Olafson comes to Troy from St. George's School in Vancouver, British Columbia. At 6-3, Olafson is a defensive specialist who garnered extra international experience while attending and competing for Anglo-Chinese School Independent in Singapore, winning three Singapore National School Games championships. He's also the St. George's School record-holder in three swimming events.

"Thor is one of the smartest kids in this class," Pintaric said of Olafson. "He's a very fast driver who will speed up our game. He's a player that will contribute greatly to our team in his Trojan career."

An Oaks Christian High grad, Josh Waldoch won gold with Team USA at the 2019 UANA Youth Pan American Championship last summer. He was an All-CIF Third Team selection during his prep career.

"Josh is a utility player who is known for his smart decisions," Pintaric said of Waldoch. "He's a versatile player who can play on both sides of the pool. He's somebody who can earn good playing time in his first year."

A native of Croatia, Marko Karaman transfers to USC from Santa Monica College as he follows in the water polo footsteps of older brother Luka, who is a 2020 USC graduate. Marko played water polo at a high level in Croatia with the club team JUG Dubrovnik before pursuing his higher education in California. At Santa Monica College, Karaman helped his team reach the Community College Conference semifinals in 2019.

"Growing up in Croatia, Marko is a driver with a good fundamentals," Pintaric said of Karaman. "He is a great addition to our class as he follows in the steps of his brother, Luka."

Molthen, Olafson, Waldoch and Karaman join November's signees Blake Jackson, Carson Kranz, Tom McGuire, Max Miller, Tony Nardelli, Reed Stemler, Oliver Von Karl as USC's newcomer group for 2020.

"This group rounds out a very complete set of incoming players for us," Pintaric said. "We are looking forward to seeing these young men develop and continue the USC legacy."