Tournament Central
CWPA Poll
ESPN+ Water Polo
Cambridge, MA & Providence, RI – The Wagner women's water polo team will continue its season at the Bruno Classic on the campuses of Harvard and Brown this weekend.
National Recognition
After entering the season as #23 in the College Water Polo Association (CWPA) preseason poll, the Green & White have moved up nine spots after winning six of its first eight games of play to start the season.
Released on Wednesday, the poll also consists fellow Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) members LIU, Marist, Iona, and La Salle. Marist dropped one spot to #23 after going 0-4 at the Michigan Invite this past weekend. LIU jumped into the poll after defeating the then #10 Indiana Hoosiers at the Michigan Invitational. Iona and La Salle received votes in the week 2 poll.
Wagner History In The Poll
Wagner reached its highest ranking in program history on February 7, 2018, at #13. Other notable rankings in program history include #13 on March 18 and 25, 2015. The Seahawks also entered the 2019 season at #14.
Alonso Claims Back-to-Back Rookie of the Week Honors
For the second consecutive week, freshman
Carlota Alonso claimed MAAC Rookie of the Week honors. On Saturday, January 29, the Barcelona, Spain native scored five goals on six shots to go along with one assist against Mercyhurst and recorded a hat trick against Gannon.
Through two games on Sunday, January 30, Alonso tallied four goals on five shots while dishing out five assists, recording seven steals and winning her first sprint attempt as a Seahawk.
Alonso becomes the second Seahawk in program history to receive this honor in consecutive weeks as fellow Seahawk
Sofia Diaz Alvarez did the same on March 20 and 27, 2019 as she went on to win MAAC Rookie of the year that season. Alonso also joins Diaz Alvarez and junior
Abbey Simshauser as the only Seahawks to receive Rookie of the Week recognition multiple times in one season as Simshauser accomplished this feat in 2020.
Last Time Out
This past weekend at the Bucknell Invitational, the Green & White secured four convincing victories against Mercyhurst, Gannon, Bucknell, and the Virginia Military Institute (VMI). Wagner tallied 90 goals in four games, the most in a tournament of a minimal of four games in program history.
Team Effort
Through the first eight games of the season, Wagner has scored 141 goals, a program record through the first eight games of the season. In 2020, the Seahawks scored 101 goals through its first eight games, 96 in 2018, 90 in 2006, and 88 in 2007. Through the first eight games, the Seahawks are averaging 17.8 goals per contest.
The Green & White have been firing on all cylinders so far this season, the team has two players with 20 or more goals, five players with at least 15 goals, and 7 players with at least 10 goals.
Sofia Diaz Alvarez leads the way with 21 goals as
Abbey Simshauser has found of the back of the net 20 times. The Seahawks also have one player with over 15 assists, and five with at least 10 assists as fifth year
Malia Josephson leads the team with 17 assists. In terms of points, two players have over 30 points while five players have tallied at least 25 points.
Malia Josephson has the most points with 33 while
Sofia Diaz Alvarez has 32 points. Abbey SImshauser leads the team in drawn exclusions with 15 while sophomore
Andrea Arias is behind her with 11.
The Seahawks have 78 steals through eight games which equates to an average of 9.75,
Carlota Alonso and junior
Skye Nankervis both have 12 to lead the team.
About The Bruno Classic
The Seahawks will travel to Harvard University in Cambridge, MA on Saturday, February 5 to take on #22 Harvard and #24(T) California Baptist.
On Sunday, February 6, the Seahawks will be on the campus of Brown University to battle Siena and Brown.
All of the contests throughout the weekend will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will be available through The FOSH.
About #22 Harvard
The Crimson enter this weekend as the #22 team in the CWPA poll. The Crimson began its season with a pair of wins over MAAC opponent Villanova on Saturday, January 22. In 2019, Wagner snapped a five-game win streak to begin the season for the Crimson.
Harvard is led by Ted Minnis, who enters his 12th season at the helm of both the men and women's programs.
About #24(T) California Baptist
Like the Seahawks, the Lancers began its 2022 season at the UC Santa Barbara Winter Invite. The Lancers faced four nationally ranked teams and left Santa Barbara with an 0-4 record. Last weekend California Baptist hosted California State University-Northridge and Pomona Pitzer, the Lancers came away with victories in both games.
About Siena
The Seahawks will battle a conference opponent in a non-conference matchup for the second consecutive weekend. This time it will be Siena as the Seahawks will look to extend its success against the Saints as Wagner has won 32 out of 34 contests between the two sides. Siena will begin its season at the Bruno Classic with three contests in Providence.
About Brown
Brown began its season with a 1-3 trip to the UC Santa Barbara Winter Invite, its lone victory came the University of Ottawa (Ariz.). Brown water polo is led by Felix Mercado, who is in his 15th season at the helm of the men and women's programs.
What's Next
Following its trip to the Bruno Classic, the Seahawks will have two weekends off before heading to the Marist Invitational to begin conference play against La Salle and St. Francis Brooklyn on Saturday, February 26.
