SAN DIEGO – Head Coach Dana Ochsner announced on Thursday the signing of Celia Vaquero Baena, Laura Dumont and Bori Végvári, three international players who will compete for the San Diego State water polo program beginning in the Spring 2027 semester.
Vaquero Baena is a Spanish goalie from Barcelona, Dumont is a utility player from Echt, The Netherlands, while Végvári, also a utility, is from Budapest, Hungary.
"We are thrilled to welcome Celia, Laura, and Bori to the Aztec family,” Ochsner said. “These are three exceptionally high-level players who bring strong international experience from some of the most dominant water polo cultures in the world. Having competed at the highest youth and senior levels in Spain, The Netherlands, and Hungary, they possess a competitive maturity, and elite skill sets that will translate immediately to the NCAA. Their arrival will greatly add to our program: elevating our training environment and being impactful players on our team."
Vaquero Baena, who plays club polo with UE D’Horta in Barcelona, has been a Spanish Youth National Team selection in each of the last four years and will compete in the U18 World Championships this August. She is a two-time European Champion; U15 in 2023 and U18 in 2025 and a U16 World Champion in 2025.
For UE D’Horta, she has twice been named the National League’s Most Valuable Player as well as leading the program to the National League title and elevating it to the Honor Division. In 2024, she was voted the best cadet Spanish goalie as well as the best goalkeeper in the Spanish Federation Cup. Her team were silver medalists at the Spanish Championships in both 2022 and 2024.
"Celia is a world-class goalkeeper who knows exactly what it takes to win at the absolute highest level,” Ochsner said. “To be a European and World Champion, while earning multiple MVP and best goalkeeper honors in Spain, speaks volumes about her talent, work ethic, and composure under pressure. She has elite skills, incredible instincts, and a strong presence in the cage. Her experience anchoring defenses against the world's best youth players is going to be invaluable for our defensive unit."
Dumont plays her club polo for VZV Njord. In 2022 and 2023, she was part of the Waterpolo Opleidingscentrum (WOC) U14-15 Regional Water Polo Talent Program, which is the primary selection instrument for the Koninklijke Nederlandse Zwembond (KNZB) and the Dutch Youth National Teams. Competing for KNZB U16 National Water Polo Talent Program, her team finished second at the Dutch U15 National Championship in 2024 and last year they were the champions at the Dutch U16 National Regular Season Competition.
In addition to water polo, Dumont is an accomplished swimmer, earning multiple titles from 2020-to-2025 in regional championships and finishing a two-person 20k open water race.
"Laura is a phenomenal utility player coming out of the elite Dutch developmental system,” Ochsner said, “which is renowned for producing incredibly smart and fundamentally sound athletes. What instantly stands out about Laura is her versatility combined with an unbelievable athletic engine. Anyone who has the stamina to finish a 20k open-water race and win regional swimming titles brings a level of conditioning and grit that will thrive in our transition game. She is going to open up a lot of tactical options for us."
Végvári has competed in club polo for and was a team captain of Budapesti Vasutas Sport Club (BVSC-Zugló). She appeared on the U18 Hungarian National Team. In 2023-24 she was on the winning squad at the Országos Bajnokság I (OB1/B) Championship, the top-tier water polo league in Hungary, and the following year competed with the senior squad in the first league. In a youth career which began in 2017-18, she has earned multiple medals and is a key player in the U19 age group.
"Bori brings a fantastic combination of leadership and high-level tactical awareness to our roster,” Ochsner said. “Serving as a club team captain in Budapest shows her maturity and character, and her experience playing in Hungary's top senior league against world-class adults has prepared her for the physical demands of college water polo. She is a highly intelligent utility player who can impact the game in multiple ways, and her competitive drive will push everyone around her to a higher standard."
In 2026, San Diego State completed the season with a 19-10 record and was the No. 16-ranked team in the nation. The Aztecs finished in third place for the third time in their 12 years in the Golden Coast Conference. In SDSU’s dozen seasons in the GCC, it has never finished outside the top four in the standings and has been third or better eight times.