Women's Water Polo Travels to Poughkeepsie For The 2017 MAAC Championship

Interview with the Players
MAAC Preview
MAAC Championship Information

Poughkeepsie, NY – The defending three-time Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) champions, the Wagner women's water polo team are set to defend their crown at the 2017 MAAC Championships, held at Marist College, April 29 and April 30.

Joining the Seahawks in the four-team field is host institution Marist, Virginia Military Institute (VMI), and Iona. The Green & White are the No. 1 seed after accumulating a perfect 14-0 conference mark en route to its second straight regular season title. The Red Foxes, who finished the conference season at 11-3 are the No. 2 seed, followed by VMI (11-3) and Iona (8-6).

Playing for Number Four
The Seahawks will look to become the first MAAC program to capture four-straight conference championships while also receiving the NCAA automatic bid. Two other schools, Marist and Iona, have won three straight league titles in their history.

Scouting Iona
The No. 19 ranked Seahawks will meet the fourth-seeded Iona Gaels on Saturday, April 29 in a 12:00 pm matchup in the first round of the tournament. Wagner bested the Gaels 13-8 on March 18 behind five goals from junior utility Kimberly Watson (Pointe-Claire, Quebec / John Rennie) before narrowly defeating them 9-8 in a midweek matchup on March 29.

The second meeting between the two teams was a back-and-forth showdown until Watson and sophomore attack Erica Hardy (Montreal, Quebec / St. Thomas) fired back-to-back strikes in the final quarter to gain a two-point lead. Defensively, senior goalkeeper Emily Riddle (Edmonton, Alberta / Dr. E.P. Scarlett) registered a season-high 12 saves, while adding a paramount steal in the second stanza that led to a goal by freshman attack Jacqui Sjogren (Queensland, Australia / St. Andrews Anglican College).

The Gaels are led by four-time MAAC Offensive Player of the Week, Hannah Schultz, who has 89 goals on the season. Schultz led Iona in scoring in both contests with the Green & White, netting three and four goals, respectively.

Record Book Entries on the Horizon
Watson looks to extend her single-season record for sprints won (89) after breaking her previous record of 87 set in 2016. Additionally, Watson, Hardy, and junior attack Elise Begg (Newbury Park, CA / Newbury Park) are all less than ten assists away from the program's leaderboard, while junior attack Lacey Anderson (Thousand Oaks, CA / Westlake) looks to move up on the all-time steals list.

Tournament Schedule
The No. 2 Marist Red Foxes will take on the No. 3 VMI Keydets in the second semifinal on Saturday, April 29 at 2:00 pm. The winners will then move on to the championship game, which is slated for 2:00 p.m. with a trip to the NCAA tournament on the line.

Follow From Home
If you are unable to make the trip to the McCann Center, all games will be available to stream live at MAAC.TV. Additionally, follow @WagnerGameday on Twitter for in-game updates as well as Facebook (/WagnerAthletics), Instagram (@wagnerathletics), and Snapchat (UN: wagnerathletics) for more behind-the-scenes information on the weekend.

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