In a marquee matchup against then-No. 1 Stanford on March 22, USC women’s water polo came out of a timeout with 35 seconds left, tied at 10 and with a chance to stun the rival Cardinal at home. As the ball shifted over to the right side, sophomore attacker Emily Ausmus faked a drive before popping back and delivering a nearside catch-and-shoot goal to propel the visiting Trojans over Stanford for their biggest win of the season thus far.

As spectacular as the moment was, however, the play was just one of many to come from one of collegiate water polo’s most skilled, Olympic-level talents. 

“Everybody in the country would want to have an Emily Ausmus,” said third-year USC Head Coach Casey Moon of Ausmus in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “She hates to lose. It’s not about her. She’s willing to sacrifice herself for the better[ment] of the team. She’ll do the little things. She doesn’t need the limelight, per se on her. If she has the ability to set up her teammates, she will.  … She’s a cheat code.”

Since joining USC as a freshman last year, Ausmus has established herself as a force to be reckoned with, earning a sea of national awards, including a 2025 All-American First Team nod and becoming one of the most prolific scorers in the country. During her freshman campaign, she set USC’s single-season goal record with 114. 

In yet another highly successful season for USC, which sits at 20-2 entering its regular-season finale against UCLA, Ausmus, who’s coming off a three-goal game against UC Berkeley, has the chance to lead the Trojans to a championship at the NCAA Tournament in April — where a national title would be just one more achievement in an already stellar career.

Ausmus’ generational talent showed early

Growing up in Riverside, Ausmus was introduced to aquatic sports at an early age. But instead of diving into swimming, as her family planned, Ausmus and her brother floated down a different stream, beginning with lessons at a nearby community college. The nature of the practice schedule introduced Ausmus to the water polo world. 

“They had swim times and water polo times, and the swim times were too early for my parents to drop us off, so they threw us into the water polo times,” Ausmus said. “Then, we ended up liking water polo a lot better.” 

From then on, the sport enveloped Ausmus’ life as she moved around from club to club, eventually settling with one of Southern California’s top teams: SOCAL Water Polo Club in Tustin, California. Located in the heart of Orange County, SOCAL Water Polo Club has consistently been one of the top club teams in the nation, drawing talent from across the region.

This talent pool ultimately proved to be the boost Ausmus needed to develop her skills further. Playing with and against players one, two and even three years older than her led to Ausmus’ exponential development as an 11-year-old. During her time at SOCAL, Ausmus claimed two Junior Olympics championships and won an MVP award. 

“She’s truly one of these generational talents,” Moon said of Ausmus. “She hit the water polo scene, probably 11, 12, [and] we realized, ‘Hey, whoever this kid is, she’s got some ability, and she loves water polo.’”

Education, brother were factors in USC commitment

With the water polo buzz surrounding Ausmus, interest came flooding in during high school from the entire dominant MPSF West division — USC, UCLA, Stanford and UC Berkeley. Having her pick of the litter, Ausmus weighed her options, looking at the schools holistically to determine the best fit. Currently pursuing a degree in civil engineering in the Viterbi School of Engineering, the sophomore said she made academics a key focus. 

“Outside of water polo, I would say my education is what I found most enjoyable [at USC],” Ausmus said. “Meeting some of my best friends last year and continuing to see them this year … and building connections [with] my teammates [is] obviously huge.”

In addition to her academic and athletic interests, one factor stood out equally high: the presence of her brother Evan. A key contributor to the Trojan men’s water polo team for the last four seasons, Evan had established himself as one of USC’s top drivers. But despite her brother already attending and playing for the Trojans, Ausmus said her decision to follow suit was ultimately entirely her own.

“I remember my brother just being like, ‘Whatever school you go to, I’ll support you, and I don’t want to impact your decision,’” Ausmus said. “I prayed about it, felt propelled to come here and felt like this was the right decision for me.”

Paris Games provide experience

But before making the jump from high school to collegiate water polo, Ausmus first took an even bigger one: to the national level. After graduating high school, Ausmus pursued her Olympic dream, spending the entire year training with the national team for the 2024 Paris Olympics. While it would mean delaying her start with USC to Fall 2024, the additional personal and professional experience proved invaluable to the star.

“I ultimately wanted to take that year off just to become a better water polo player, but also to learn more about myself,” Ausmus said. “If I passed up on that opportunity, I feel I would’ve regretted it. You can always come back to school, but trying to make an Olympic team is a one-time opportunity.”

Ausmus’ hard work paid off when she made the 13-person roster as the team’s youngest player. Competing against veterans who had played in the last several Olympic games, Ausmus solidified her status as one of the United States’ water polo players with the highest potential. 

In Paris, Ausmus was exposed to stellar athletes from all around the world, through which she said she learned to balance the awe and spectacle of the Olympics with the two-week tournament ahead.

“When I was there, I was pretty dialed in, and it just felt like any other tournament, but just with really cool people around,” Ausmus said. “I have a picture with Steph Curry, [and I sat] next to Noah Lyles on the bus. … Having a shared space a space with other Team USA athletes like Ray Benjamin, who went to USC, I remember him being like, ‘Fight on.’”

Ausmus makes all-time collegiate debut

After the experience, Ausmus returned stateside, finally joining the Trojans for the 2024-25 season. Hitting the ground running, she had one of the most impressive single seasons the program has seen, being named a Cutino Award finalist, First Team All-American and MPSF Newcomer of the Year, along with a plethora of other awards. To go alongside her record-setting 114 goals, she added 55 assists and 46 steals, coming second on the team for both categories.

Building on her stellar freshman campaign, Ausmus once again leads the team in goals this season with 60 and was recently named to the Cutino Award watchlist for the second year in a row. On the defensive end, Ausmus has also added 34 steals to lead all Trojans. 

“Being the youngest on that Olympic team, I think she really learned from a lot of those older veterans,” Moon said. “She really grew as a human in regards to how her voice is going to be heard.”

As the Trojans enter the most important stretch of the season with the upcoming MPSF and NCAA tournaments in April, Ausmus will look to lead her team to the program’s eighth NCAA title and first since 2021, after falling to Stanford in the final last year. Hoping to avenge that loss, last week’s statement win over the Cardinal is the first step on that road to the NCAA finals for Ausmus and the Trojans. 

Regardless of how her season finishes, though, Ausmus has already left a lasting mark on her program — and her sport as a whole.