The Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Women's Eastern Championship is set for Friday-Sunday, April 27-29 at Brown University in Providence, R.I. Here are the top four seeds for the conference tournament and what to expect from them in this weekend’s matches.
Saint Francis College:
Record: division (6-0), conference (10-1), total (12-5)
Key Players: Paloma Szivos (Sr., 41 goals this season); Regina Toth (Jr. 35 goals this season)
Possible Finish: seated first in the conference, Saint Francis is expected to do extremely well in this weekend’s matches, and they could possibly take home the championship.
Brown University:
Record: division (5-1), conference (12-3), total (19-10)
Key Players: Madison Pepper (Fr., 68 goals, 46 steals this season); Kate Woods (So., 66 goals, 49 steals this season)
Possible Finish: Although this team does not have as strong of a record as other teams in the conference, they have a high scoring percentage and a solid defense, making them the team to watch this weekend.
Princeton University:
Record: division (5-2), conference (15-2), total (20-4)
Key Players: Katie Rigler (So., 62 goals this season); Kristen Ward (Sr., 220 saves this season)
Possible Finish: As the top team from the Southern-East Zone for the CWPA, Brown has the most solid record out of all their opponents and their winning streak will definitely work to their advantage in this weekend’s matches.
Mercyhurst University:
Record: division (10-0), conference (13-7), total (14-8)
Key Players: Allie Grimes (So.,35 goals this season); Hope Rozelle (Sr., 306 saves this season)
Possible Finish: As the top team from the Southern-West Zone, Mercyhurst comes from a smaller division of teams where they by far excel. Let’s hope that they can do the same at this weekend’s matches.