No. 18 Seahawks To Compete In Bruno Classic

2020 Bruno Classic

Providence, RI – The Wagner women's water polo team will travel to Providence, RI this weekend to compete in the Bruno Classic. They will begin on Saturday, February 1 at 8:00 am against St. Francis U, followed by a 6:00 pm showdown with No. 17 Harvard. The Seahawks will conclude their weekend on Sunday at 12:40 pm taking on the hosting Brown Bears. All games are set to be streamed on ESPN+.

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE:
Saturday, February 1
8:00 AM – No. 18 Wagner vs. St. Francis U ($ Live Video $)
6:00 PM – No. 18 Wagner vs. No. 17 Harvard ($ Live Video $)

Sunday, February 2
12:40 PM – No. 18 Wagner vs. Brown ($ Live Video $)

LAST TIME OUT
Led by first-year head coach Ciaran Wolohan, the No. 21 Seahawks flew to Ann Arbor, MI to compete in the Michigan Invitational and faced off against a foursome of nationally ranked opponents. They kicked off the 2020 campaign on Saturday morning, falling to the hosting No. 7 Michigan University Wolverines 11-8, before defeating No. 23 ranked Indiana University 18-17 in sudden death overtime. The Seahawks concluded their trip on Sunday with two defeats at the hands of No. 9 UC Santa Barbara and No. 5 UCLA.

EARLY SEASON CONFERENCE RECOGNITION
Sophomore Sofia Diaz Alvarez and freshman Abbey Simshauser each garnered Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) recognition after a strong first weekend in Michigan.

Diaz Alvarez, who tallied 13 goals and 10 assists for an astounding 23 points through only four games, earned MAAC Offensive Player of the Week. She recording at least two points in each match, including eight goals alone against No. 23 Indiana, as well as two goals in the first overtime period, followed by the game winning goal in sudden death overtime.

Simshauser, a first-year Seahawk, played a huge role in her first matches in the Green & White, earning MAAC Rookie of the Week honors. The Sydney, Australia native recorded 11 goals and five assists for a total of 16 points, while tallying 12 drawn exclusions and five steals on the defensive end. Against No. 23 Indiana, Simshauser notched four goals, three of which came in a tight fourth quarter, which included two unanswered goals in the final minute, one passing the Hoosier keeper with only a single second remaining in regulation to send the teams into overtime, before an eventual Seahawk win.

ABOUT ST. FRANCIS U:
The Red Flash will begin their season this weekend in Providence. They are coming off a 2019 campaign in which they finished 10-26, including an 0-6 mark in Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) conference play, as well as two defeats at the hands of the Seahawks by a combined score of 45-6.

St. Francis will return most of their swimmers from last season, led by Breanna Dupperon and Metztli Enriquez, who combined for 91 goals, 17 assists, and 53 steals. The Red Flash will be looking for players to step up and replace last year's top scorer in Ani Aghakhanian, who led the team with 57 goals.

ABOUT NO. 17 HARVARD:
The Crimson are coming into this weekend with a 2-0 undefeated record, having handedly defeated Villanova 21-5 and Iona 10-4 at the Harvard Mini on January 25. They are coming off a 2019 campaign in which they finished 21-8, including a 4-5 mark in CWPA play, as well as two victories over Wagner by the combined score of 26-22.

Harvard are led by sophomores Borden Wahl and Evan Tingler. Wahl currently leads the team with five goals, while Tingler is pacing the Crimson with six assists.

In goal, Harvard relies on sophomore Zoe Banks, who has tallied ten saves through four quarters of action.

ABOUT BROWN:
Brown are coming into this weekend with a 2-0 undefeated record, having earned victories over Iona and Villanova by a combined score of 26-11 at the Harvard Mini on January 25. They are coming off a 2019 campaign in which they finished 21-13, including a 2-4 mark in CWPA play, as well as a defeat at the hands of Wagner, 11-6.

The Bears are led by a trio of goal scorers, freshman Katie Dvonch and sophomores Dagmara Czajka and Katie Klein, who have found the back of the net 15 times combined. Junior Carissa Perez is currently pacing Brown with a team high nine assists.

In goal, the Bears have split time between senior Lauren Burns and sophomore Marley Presiado. Burns recorded five saves in the win over Iona, while Presiado stopped nine shots against Villanova.

NEXT UP FOR THE SEAHAWKS:
The Seahawks will be back in action next weekend as they travel to Lewisburg, PA to compete in the Bison Invitational. They will compete in a total of four games during their two day stay, beginning with a double header on Saturday, February 8 against St. Francis Brooklyn at 9:00 am, followed by No. 17 Harvard at 5:45 pm. They will conclude the weekend with another two matches on Sunday, first taking on the hosting Bucknell Bison at 10:30 am, followed by Mercyhurst at 3:30 pm.

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