Water polo player Evie Fowler of Brookfield received the ball from the goalie as a parent in the stands loudly counted down the final seconds before halftime. From roughly 3/4 of the length of the pool, the 10-year-old heaved and scored a buzzer-beater for her longest goal ever.
“I could hear that (parent) and I looked behind me and saw the clock was like five seconds so I shot it with all my power,” Fowler said. “I couldn’t believe it. I thought I missed. I didn’t think I was going to make it in, but I did.”
That was among many highlights for Fowler and Sebastian Miller of Brookfield from the Lyons Aquatics water polo program in helping their 10-and-under 294 Elite co-ed team finish fifth in the top-level Platinum Division at the USA Water Polo Junior Olympics July 18-21 in Orange County, California.
The 10-U 294 Elite team had a 6-2 overall record for group play and playoffs among 48 teams. The 14-12 come-from-behind victory for fifth over Channel Islands United July 21 came after losing their July 19 group match on a shootout to settle a 9-9 tie.
Brookfield’s Evie Fowler defends the goal during 10-and-Under co-ed action at last month’s USA Water Polo Junior Olympics. (Photo courtesy of Tammy Miller) 
Brookfield’s Ella Fowler (2) defends tightly during 12-and-Under girls action at last month’s USA Water Polo Junior Olympics. (Photo courtesy of Tammy Miller). 
Brookfield’s Sebastian Miller was among the top scorers for the fifth-place 294 Elite team in the 10-and-Under co-ed age group at last month’s USA Water Polo Junior Olympics. (Photo courtesy of Tammy Miller)
“We came back and pulled it off,” said Fowler, an incoming fifth grader at Brook Park Elementary School in LaGrange Park. “It was challenging but really fun in a way that we still stuck into it and got fifth place. It was really great and also that team was really good. Their goalie had really long arms.”
The fifth-place finish is the highest for any Lyons Aquatics-based team at JOs in any age division. For Miller, 9, this was quite an experience for his first JOs and as the youngest player on the team.
The incoming fourth-grader at Central Elementary School in Riverside averaged about one goal per match. With 294 Elite trailing by two in group play, Miller’s back-to-back goals helped spark the 13-11 victory over Yolo.
“Especially in my first year, it was so surprising that (all of) that happened,” said Miller, who had younger teammates during the regular season. “It’s way different being the youngest person on the team but scoring goals. Most people wouldn’t expect a 10-year-old person like me scoring goals against really good goalies.”
Lyons Aquatics is based at Lyons Township High School’s south campus. The 294 Elite teams combined primarily Lyons Aquatics players with others from water polo programs throughout the Chicago area.
Ella Fowler of Brookfield was on the 12-and-Under 294 Elite girls team that was 10th in the Gold Division.
Lorenzo Tejeda of Brookfield was on the 14-and-Under boys team that was 24th in the Gold Division.
Other strong 294 Elite Gold Division finishes were by the 12-and-Under boys (14th), 18-and-Under girls and 16-and-Under girls (both 18th) and 16-and-Under boys (19th).
The 10-U and 12-U age groups have the option of entering co-ed competition.
“It’s funner that I can make friends that are boys and friends that are girls,” Miller said. “(With 294 Elite) I liked how I could meet people from other parts of Chicago and I got to make friends, play with them and with other people when I was in Lyons Aquatics. Also I liked how they changed the name (to 294 Elite). It didn’t feel like they were betraying their (club) teams. They were just part of a whole new team.”
Doug Eichstaedt is the Lyons Aquatics head coach. Assistant coach Allegra Fowler is the mother of Ella and Evie and played water polo for Mother McAuley High School and the University of Illinois club team. Tom Fries, Allegra’s father, played at Brother Rice for Hall of Fame coach Moose Mulcrone.
“We are extremely proud of all of our players for putting in the work to achieve their goals,” Allegra Fowler said. “Years from now, these kids won’t remember the wins and losses, but we hope they will remember what we taught them — work hard, have fun and play as a team.”
This was Evie Fowler’s third and final time competing at the 10-U JOs. Her team was 13th in 2025 after making her debut in 2024 with Ella among her teammates.
“I like how there’s a community of people (in water polo). It’s a small world and there’s people from different teams and we all went together and played hard,” Evie Fowler said.
For Miller, this was first season ever playing water polo. Already a swimmer, Miller tried water polo and proved to be so adept he was promoted faster than most newcomers.
“The first day I loved it and I came back the second day,” Miller said.
“(I like) probably that it’s a sport on the water, which I’m good at. In swimming, you can swim against your teammates but in water polo you have your team. You’re working together, figuring out strategies together.”
Because the 2025 10-U team finished 13th, it received a higher seeding and didn’t have its opening match until 12:50 p.m. That allowed players to actually be around during breakfast hours at their hotel.
“Since we got 13th, we got to sleep in,” Evie Fowler said.
Miller said he enjoyed one day just hanging out with the team on the beach.
Evie Fowler agreed.
“Spending time with the team was the funnest part,” she said. “I didn’t really know this, but one of my friends on the team lives like an hour away from us. It was just amazing to see people from Evanston come and play (for 294 Elite). I was just impressed that they came.”
