Indiana University Athletics
Previewing the Eastern Championship
8/25/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
Apr. 28, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The 2005 Collegiate Water Polo Association Eastern Championship will begin on Saturday, April 30, at 9 a.m. at the Counsilman Billingsley Aquatic Center. The eight-team championship field was selected as a result of the Division Championships and at-large bids. Michigan and Indiana earned the two bids from the West as the top two finishers at the Division Championship. Princeton and Bucknell earned the Southern Division berths, while Hartwick and Brown were the North Division representatives. Harvard of the Northern Division and George Washington of the Southern Division were the at-large selections.
Each of the last two seasons, the second-seeded team has won the conference title. In 2003, Indiana was the second seed, while last season Hartwick was No. 2. The last top seed to win the Eastern Championship was Michigan in 2002.
Tickets for the Eastern Championship will be available at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center on the days of competition. Prices are $15 for the entire Championship, and $10 for a single-day pass. IU students, faculty and staff are 50% off, while children 12-and-under are free. Live updates from the Eastern Championship will be available at IUHOOSIERS.com.
Here is a Look at Previews for the Eight Participating Teams:
Top-Seeded Indiana
The Hoosiers have spent the majority of the season ranked among the top 10 in the country and enter the Collegiate Water Polo Association Eastern Championship with a 22-9 record. The Cream and Crimson won the regular season CWPA Western Division title with a perfect 7-0 mark. During the 2005 season, the Hoosiers have defeated a school-record five top-10 teams.
Indiana earned the program's highest ranking, coming in at No. 6 on Feb. 16. IU spent two weeks ranked sixth after knocking off then-No. 6 California, 8-5, and then-No. 7 Hawaii, 8-7, at the Stanford Invitational on Feb. 12.
The Hoosiers are led by the senior trio of Kandace Waldthaler, Krista Peterson and Jessica Goldner. Goldner, a second team all conference selection each of the previous two seasons, has started 25 matches in goal, while making 205 saves with a goals against average of 6.26. Peterson was an honorable mention All-America selection in 2003 and 2004. She leads the Hoosiers with 51 goals on the season and ranks second in school history with 222. Waldthaler ranks second on the team in goals with 46, while leading the squad in kickouts earned (51).
IU head coach Barry King has led the Hoosier program during all eight years of its existence. Indiana has won 20 or more games during seven of those seasons, with King racking up a 172-93-2 (.648) record. The Cream and Crimson is 3-1 against the Eastern Championship field with a 1-0 mark against Brown and a 2-1 tally against Michigan. Indiana has placed among the top three at the Eastern Championship each of the last three seasons.
Second-Seeded Michigan
Michigan enters the championship with a 25-12 mark, including wins in seven of its last eight matches. The lone loss over that span was a 5-4 loss to then-No. 4 Hawaii. The Wolverines knocked off Indiana in the Western Division Championship game, 11-10, in overtime to advance to the Eastern Championship.
The Hoosiers defeated the Wolverines in a pair of thrillers earlier this season. IU downed Michigan, 7-6, at the season-opening Michigan Invitational. The Cream and Crimson followed that up with a 7-6 sudden victory win over the Maize and Blue during the Western Division regular season affair. The two teams have played on 19 occasions over the last five years. When they get together, it is almost assured to be a great match. Eight of the 19 matches have gone to overtime, with 13 of those being decided by two goals or less. Indiana is 7-26-2 all-time against Michigan.
Sophomore Shana Welch leads Michigan with 74 goals on the season. At the Long Beach Invitational, Welch set a school record with eight markers against Cal State-Bakersfield. Senior Sheetal Narsai ranks second on the team in goals with 42. Junior Megan Hausmann is third on the team with 33 goals. Senior goalkeeper Betsey Armstrong has played in 33 matches for the Maize and Blue. She has blocked 248 shots with a goals against average of under six.
Michigan is led by head coach and former IU assistant Matt Anderson in his third season at the helm. The Wolverines are 77-31 under Anderson. The Wolverines are 3-2 against the Eastern Championship field. Michigan is 1-0 against both Hartwick and Brown, while going 1-2 against Indiana.
Third-Seeded Princeton
Princeton is coming off its fourth Southern Division Championship since 1999 after knocking off Bucknell, 8-3. The Tigers are 26-7 on the year and ranked among the top 15 in the country.
Luis Nicolao is in his seventh season as the head coach at Princeton. The Tigers are 9-1 against the Eastern Championship Field. Princeton is a perfect 3-0 against Bucknell, 1-0 against Brown and 2-0 against George Washington and Harvard. The Tigers are 1-1 versus Hartwick, having lost to them at the Bucknell Invitational before defeating them at the ECAC Championship. The Hoosiers are 5-7 all-time versus Princeton. IU has won the last four matchups between the schools, including a 6-4 win at the Bucknell Invitational last season.
Sophomore utility Elyse Colgan leads the Tigers with 80 goals on the season. Colgan was an honorable mention All-America selection in 2004. Sophomore driver Danielle Carlson is second on the team with 43 goals to go along with a team-leading 18 assists. Freshman driver Carolina Ardila and sophomore driver Jazmin Brown each have 30 goals on the season. Brown also leads the team in steals with 32. Freshman goalkeeper Natalie Kim has played 24 games in net for Princeton, making 160 saves, while allowing 96 goals.
Fourth-Seeded Hartwick
Hartwick comes into the Eastern Championship as the defending champion. Last season, the Hawks knocked off IU, 6-5, in the semifinals before disposing of Michigan, 5-2, in the title game. Hartwick is currently 26-8 on the season and captured both the regular season and post season Northern Division Championships.
The Hawks are led by freshman defender Bronwen Knox, who has 95 goals and 87 steals on the year. Senior driver and 2004 third team All-American Kate Chambers has 57 goals, 55 assists, 67 steals and 46 drawn ejections. Those numbers ranks first on the team in assists and drawn ejections, while ranking second in goals and steals. Sophomore goalkeeper Olivia Colebourne has played 32 games in net for Hartwick, with 234 saves with 36 assists, 65 steals and a goals against average of 5.41.
Hartwick has outscored its opponents 424-176 on the season. The Hawks have won nine of their last 10, with the lone loss coming to then-No. 5 Long Beach State, 9-5. Hartwick is 7-3 against the Eastern Championship field. The Hawks went 1-1 against Princeton, 0-1 versus Michigan and Bucknell, 3-0 against Brown, 2-0 versus Harvard and 1-0 against George Washington.
Indiana is 3-2 all-time against Hartwick, but the Hoosiers have lost the last two encounters with the Hawks. The last three matchups have been decided by one goal. Last season, Hartwick defeated IU, 8-7, in sudden victory overtime at the Bucknell Invtiational and 6-5 in the Eastern Championship semifinals.
Fifth-Seeded Harvard
Harvard earned one of the two at-large berths to the Eastern Championship. The Crimson became the third representative from the Northern Division after amassing a 16-8 record on the season. The Crimson is led by first-year head coach Erik Farrar.
The Crimson is 4-6 against the Eastern Championship field. Harvard owns a 1-0 mark against Bucknell and a 3-2 record against Brown. The Crimson is 0-2 against both Hartwick and Princeton this season. Indiana is 6-0 all-time against Harvard, including an 11-3 win at the Bucknell Invitational a season ago.
Sixth-Seeded Brown
Brown enters with a 14-11 record on the season after finishing second at the Northern Division Championship. Brown has won four of its last five matches heading into the Eastern Championships. The Bears are 4-10 against the Eastern Championship field with victories over George Washington, Bucknell and two over Harvard.
Brown is led by first-year head coach Jason Gall. The Bears lost to their first round opponent third-seeded Princeton, 8-4, earlier this season at the Princeton Invitational. The Hoosiers own a 4-2 win over Brown this season at the Wolverine Invitational. The Cream and Crimson shutout Brown for most of the match, improving to 7-0 all-time against the Bears. Brown was the 2001 CWPA Eastern Champion and advanced to the finals in 2003 before falling, 7-5, to Indiana.
Senior Diana Livermore leads the Bears in scoring with 40 goals and 46 kickouts drawn. She was an honorable mention All-America selection in 2004. Sophomores Elizabeth Balassone and Paige Lansing ranked second and third on the team in goals with 29 and 26, respectively. Freshman Ally Wyatt leads Brown in assists with 21, while sophomore Caitlin Fahey tops the squad with 46 steals. Freshman goalkeeper Anne Deggelman has played every minute in net for Brown this season, amassing 157 saves and a goals against average of 6.24.
Seventh-Seeded Bucknell
Bucknell secured a spot in the Eastern Championship by finishing second at the Southern Division Championship. The Bison are 22-9 on the season and were ranked in the national top 20 for the first time in school history after knocking off then-No. 14 Hartwick, 12-10, earlier this season. Bucknell is led by fourth-year head coach John Zeigler.
Senior Meg Blitzer leads the Bison in goals (63), steals (56) and assists (22). Freshman Meagan Gins ranks second on the team with 43 goals and tops the squad with 47 drawn ejections. Senior Cody Keffer has 28 goals, 21 assists, 31 drawn ejections and 27 steals on the year. Sophomore goalkeeper Mandy Bynum has played 25 matches in net for Buckenll, compiling 211 saves, allowing 134 goals.
The Bison are 6-5 against the Eastern Championship field. Bucknell is perfect against Hartwick (1-0) and George Washington (4-0). The Bison are 0-3 against Princeton, 0-1 against Harvard and 1-1 against Brown. Indiana is 2-0 all-time versus Bucknell, including a 13-3 win at Princeton Invite in 2003.
Eighth-Seeded George Washington
George Washington enters the Eastern Championship as the final at-large team and the third representative out of the Southern Division. The Colonials are 13-14 on the season and 0-8 against the Eastern Championship field. George Washington is led by sixth-year head coach Scott Reed.
Indiana is 5-0 all-time against George Washington and will face them in the Eastern Championship for the third straight season. Indiana defeated GW in 2003, 9-6, and 11-6 in 2004.
Freshman driver Morgan Hooker leads the Colonials in goals with 42. Sophomore driver Jenna Burnett and senior driver Kendra Shanley round out the 30-goal scorers for George Washington with 35 and 30, respectively. Junior goalkeeper Amy Heinemann has seen the majority of time in net for GW. She has 181 saves, while allowing 150 goals on the season.
Schedule
Saturday, April 30, 2005
Game
1 - Indiana vs. George Washington - 9 a.m.
2 - Hartwick vs. Harvard - 10:30 a.m.
3 - Michigan vs. Bucknell - 12 p.m.
4 - Princeton vs. Brown - 1:30 p.m.
5 - Loser of Game 2 vs. Loser of Game 1 - 4 p.m.
6 - Loser of Game 4 vs. Loser of Game 3 - 5:30 p.m.
7 - Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 - 7 p.m.
8 - Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4 - 8:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 1, 2005
Game
7th Place - Loser of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 5 - 9 a.m.
5th Place - Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6 - 10:30 a.m.
3rd Place - Loser of Game 8 vs. Loser of Game 7 - 12 p.m.
Championship - Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 8 - 1:30 p.m.
