SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State head women’s water polo coach Dana Ochsner announced the signing of five high school seniors to athletic aid agreements on Thursday, which begin in the 2026-27 school year.
The five signees, all from California, include Amit Faibish, Lucy Nihart, Clara O’Connor, Ella Binney and Grace Phillips.
"Our 2026 class is a group of incredibly accomplished athletes with a ton of high-level experience,” Ochsner said. “It was very important to take our time in recruiting this class, because they will be replacing a very talented group of seniors, who have had a major impact on the success of this program. However, I believe this group of recruits has what it takes both in and out of the water to continue our program's goal for success and to continue paving the road to championships."
Fabish, a senior at Canyon Crest Academy in San Diego, is a three-year starter who has earned the honor of both team captain and team MVP. She was named the North County Conference Player of the Year as well as a first-team All-Avocado League performer in the 2023-24 school year. In each of the last three years, 2022, 2023 & 2024, she was selected for the Olympic Development Program. In club action, as a member of La Jolla United, she led the team in scoring, assists, steals, blocks and drawn exclusions.
Internationally, she has competed for the Israeli National Water Polo Team in the 2024 U18 World Championships and U19 European Championships as well as the 2025 U18 European Championships. In each competition her team reached the quarterfinals. In addition, she represented Israel at the Pythia Cup in Greece.
“Amit has a unique water polo experience,” Ochsner said. “She is a high school and club player in the US but has garnered lots of experience on the international stage. She has competed in many high-level international competitions with the Israeli youth national team, and that has prepared her for the rigors of playing in college. I am looking forward to seeing her continue to grow and contribute at both the Division I level and internationally.”
Phillips is a 5-9 goalie who attends El Capitan High School in Merced, California. A three-year lettewinner, she has won three Central California Conference (CCC) titles and garnered second-team All-CCC and league Most Valuable Goalie awards. In addition, she has earned first-team Division 2 All-Sac Joaquin Section and a 2025 youth ODP national championship.
“I am very excited to watch Grace come in and grow with the program,” Ochsner said. “She started her career in high school and has garnered several very impressive accomplishments in a short time. She’s a very hard worker, and very strong fundamentally at the position. I think she will be able to do great things for us in the cage as part of the backbone of our team defense.”
Nihart is a senior captain at Granite Bay (Calif.) High School. The two-meter scored 153 goals in her junior campaign, earned Sac-Joaquin Section MVP and first-team all-section honors after defeating Davis Senior High School to earn the school’s first section title. In addition, she was named a first-team All-Sierra Foothill League performer and a 2024-25 second-team National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association (NISCA) Girls Water Polo All-American. For her high school career, her team went 95-31, including a 36-3 mark in Sierra Foothill League action, which included two league titles and a pair of runner-up finishes. According to Maxpreps, she has scored 364 goals in 90 appearances, an average of 4.0 goal per game, to go along with 43 assists, 72 steals and 132 exclusions drawn.
“Lucy is an incredibly dominant player in her position,” Ochsner said. “She has earned numerous accolades for her high school team and is a fundamental position player at the club level. I was able to watch her score multiple goals for her team in a tournament championship, and I think her skill level in the center position and ‘go-getter’ attitude will bring depth and a new look for a key position in our team's offense.”
O’Connor, an attacker, competes for Carondelet High School in Concord, California. In her four seasons, the team has an 87-20 overall mark, which included a 33-0 record, four East Bay Valley Athletic League (EBVAL) titles and in 2024 they won the CIF North Coast Section Open Division title. The program has not been ranked outside the top 15 nationally in O’Connor’s time at Carondelet and currently is the No. 1-ranked team in the nation. According to Maxpreps, she has scored 78 goals, added 69 assists and 59 steals, and three times, in 2022, 2023 and 2024, earned second team All-EBVAL honors. O’Connor is as successful in the classroom as the pool, earning Scholar-Athlete designation from USA Water Polo three times.
“Clara comes from a very successful high school and club program,” Ochsner said. “She has played a big role on both teams and is a large part of those programs' success. Clara is a very smart, aware attacker, who can score goals as well as make big plays defensively. Her high water polo IQ and extensive game experience will set her up for success at this level.”
Binney is a senior at Campolindo High School in Moraga, California. A four-year letterwinner, who became a starter in her junior year, she was honored as a captain in her senior campaign. Binney was named honorable mention All-Diablo Athletic League in helping guide her team to the Diablo-Foothill League title in 2024, which was sandwiched between a pair of second place finishes in 2023 and 2025. In addition, Campolindo finished in second place at the 2023 and 2024 North Coast Section Water Polo Championship. She has played for Lamorinda Water Polo and in the Platinum bracket placed third at the 2022 Junior Olympics, seventh in 2024, and fourth in 2025. In addition, she has competed and earned first and sixth place finishes for the 2022 and 2024 Pacific Zone National ODP teams.
“Ella comes to us from an elite club team and a great high school,” Ochsner said. “Her club has had several top three finishes at the highest level of competitions in our sport. Along with that, she has played a huge role on those teams and comes with amazing fundamentals and coachability. She is an incredibly supportive teammate and passionate player, and she will be a great addition to our team culture and a fundamental role player as a utility on our roster.”