2008 Water Polo Season Preview

Senior Brooke Zimmerman set a school record with her 76 goals scored last season.

1/24/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo

Jan. 24, 2008

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana women's water polo team enters the 2008 season having graduated six seniors from a team that went 19-14 a year ago and completed the Hoosiers' third consecutive undefeated 7-0 season in the Collegiate Water Polo Association Western Division.

The cupboard is far from bare for 11th year head coach Barry King, as he returns the top goal scorer and assist leader from last year in attacker Brooke Zimmerman. The senior from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, scored 76 goals to set a school record for goals scored in a single season. But she did not limit herself to just scoring goals, as she also set the single-season record by handing out 52 assists on her way to being named to the first team All-CWPA. She currently sits in fifth place in career goals and assists at IU, with a chance to reach the top spot in assists by the end of 2008.

"Brooke Zimmerman leads the attacker position after setting a school record for goals scored in a season and is a definite leader in that position and has a lot of game experience," King said. "We will be relying on her to help the freshmen as they continue to gain valuable game experience."

In addition to Zimmerman, Brittany Estrada is the only other player returning who started all 33 matches last year. Estrada will see action at both center and center defender positions for the Hoosiers. In 2007, she tallied 23 goals and 25 steals, showing her versatility to be able to play both positions effectively.

Joining Estrada at the center position will be Maggie Hannon, who appeared in all 33 matches last year and will be looked upon to take charge of the position this year.

"At center, we will be looking to Maggie Hannon to take on more responsibility there and more minutes than she has in the past," King said. "We will also have Brittany Estrada along with freshmen Lauren Wyckoff and Kara Butler taking some solid minutes at the center position as well."

The center defender position will be occupied by a number of different players for the Hoosiers this year, with Estrada being the leader for a pair of freshmen in Kelsey Campbell and Kate Dunn.

And in goal, Indiana will have two reliable options to go to in Katie Carson and Jackie Pyrz. A year a go, the two split time almost equally and posted nearly identical goals against averages.

"In goal, it is an all-out battle to win the position between two very experienced players in Katie Carson and Jackie Pyrz," King said. "Both of them have been playing well so far in practice, so we won't be hurting in goal, regardless of who is in there."

With the number of returning players, eight, nearly equaling the number of freshmen, seven, the outcome of the 2008 campaign will be determined by how well the newcomers are able to adjust to the college game and contribute to the team's success.

"When you graduate six seniors that poses somewhat of a challenge," King said, "but we have a very good freshman class that we are excited about. This is also the type of team that will do nothing but get better. So as we gain some experience and move towards the end of the year this group should get better and better and be playing its best water polo at the end of the season."

The Hoosiers will open the season at the Michigan Invite January 26 and 27 with games against three teams ranked in the top 20 in the NCAA Preseason Poll including a match-up with No. 1 UCLA on Sunday.