Ryan Chalupnik, Reagan Weir help Team USA win water polo gold in Brazil

A pair of Back Bay standout centers tasted gold over the weekend in Brazil.

Newport Harbor High junior Ryan Chalupnik and Corona del Mar sophomore Reagan Weir each contributed as the U.S. women’s water polo Youth National Team captured the Pan American Aquatics U17 championship in Bauru, Brazil.

Team USA routed host Brazil 14-2 in the title match Saturday. Amber Nowaczek of Studio City Harvard-Westlake, who scored five goals in the final, earned tournament MVP accolades.

The U.S. dominated the eight-day competition, winning every match by at least 12 goals. It beat Argentina 26-4 in the semifinals on Friday, with Weir scoring a match-high five goals and Chalupnik scoring twice.

Chalupnik had her highest scoring output of the tournament in a 23-0 shutout of Mexico in the second game on April 2, netting four goals.

Former Laguna Beach coach Ethan Damato guided the U.S. women.

The U.S. men’s Youth National Team also won the tournament, beating Brazil 19-9 in the title match.

Chalupnik and Weir were each key pieces for Newport Harbor and rival CdM this past girls’ water polo season, with each helping her team reach the CIF Southern Section Open Division playoffs. Both were also standouts at the in-season Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions, garnering all-tournament team nods.

::

Support our sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber.

For more sports stories, visit latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/sports or follow us on Twitter @DailyPilotSport.