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LOS ANGELES -LMU women's water polo has announced that six standouts have signed a National Letter of Intent to join the program in 2015-16. Joining the Lions with the incoming class are Annika Armstrong (Team Manitoba), Brighid Burnes (Laguna Beach HS), Emily Byrne (Miramonte HS), Reagan Denny (Foothill HS), Katie Hungerford (Foothill HS) and Morgan Molloy (Royal HS).

"We will be graduating three seniors in May that could all have starting positions this season," said Head Coach Kyle Witt. "With that much turnover we needed to add two things back into our program. We needed to add talent that will be ready to play as freshmen, and we needed to add athletes from winning environments so the adjustment to a high level Division I school will be easier. We believe that we have exceeded those two goals and are very proud of our 2015 signing class at LMU."

Armstrong is another Canadian National Team product to join the Lions. A member of the U17 Canadian National Women's Team, Armstrong competed in the National Development Centre Workshop Invitational, the National Team Centralization Camp, and at the USA Water Polo Training Camp.

"Annika is working her way through the Canadian national team pipeline and is already a tremendous talent," said Witt. "Her defense is actually what caught our eye and her offense is improving daily. Annika will be a solid player for LMU for years to come."

She plays for Team Manitoba where she helped the team to a fourth place finish at the South Florida International Tournament. She scored 14 goals in the Women's Youth Cup and was named to the all-tournament team.

Burns attends Laguna Beach High School and will graduate this May. She also plays for SET Water Polo Club. She helped Laguna Beach to the 2014 Division I CIF Championship and in 2013 helped her team to the U16 Junior Olympic Championship.

"Brighid plays for some of the best coaches in Orange County from Laguna Beach High School and SET Water Polo Club," said Witt. "We like Brighid's driving style and her outside shot. She is a great worker that can add to our program immediately with her offensive skill set."

Continuing a family tradition with the water polo program is Byrne, who joins her older sister Erin on the Lions' squad. Emily has been active on the club circuit, leading the 680 U18 Drivers to third at the Club Championships in 2014, 5th at the 2013 Junior Olympics and 4th at the 2013 Club Championships. She is a four-year letter-winner in water polo and swimming at Miramonte High School, where she will graduate this May.

"Emily is the first player in a long time to remind me of former three-time All-American Casey Flacks," said Witt. "She is tough and never stops working. She is a perfect LMU driver. Emily is a consummate team player and we are excited to add her to our program."

As for Denny, she has helped Foothill High School win three straight Century League Championships. The team went to the CIF Division I semifinals in 2013 and quarterfinals in 2014.

"Reagan has played for two of the top teams in the country in Foothill and the SoCal water polo club," said Witt. "Reagan has been a productive member of several championship teams and we expect her to continue her development at LMU. Reagan has all the tools to be a solid college player and we are excited to provide her with an environment to flourish."

With SoCal WPC, Denny helped the team to a silver medal at the 2014 18U National Junior Olympics, a bronze medal at the 2013 16U National Junior Olympics and the US Club Championships and a third place finish at the 2013 California Cup Championships.

Joining Denny from Foothill is Hungerford. "Like Reagan, Katie has played for several championship teams at Foothill HS and SoCal WPC. Katie has a solid outside shot and a great driving style. Katie wants to win and that quality shines through every time she steps into the pool," said Witt.

Like Denny, Hungerford is a two-time USA Water Polo Academic All-American Outstanding Achiever, helping both Foothill and SoCal WPC to their respective finishes the last several years.

Rounding out the class is Molloy. A two-meter player for Royal High School and Los Angeles Water Polo Club, Molloy has earned back-to-back all-league honors.

"Morgan is a phenomenal athlete who has already established herself as a solid 2m player and she will only get better," said Witt. "We look forward to helping Morgan's continued development at LMU."

The Lions begin the 2014 campaign on January 17 at the UCLA Invitational.