UCSB Winter Invite Tournament Central
2023 Schedule
Santa Barbara, CA – The Wagner College women's water polo team will begin the 2023 season at the UCSB Winter Invite on Friday, January 20.
Last Season Recap
Last season, the Seahawks captured its seventh Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) title in the last nine seasons. In conference play, Wagner went 16-0 while claiming the regular season title.
The Green & White also earned a victory in the NCAA Tournament, the third in program history while eclipsing the longest winning streak in program history with 18.
Wagner's 35 victories were also the most in a single season in program history.
MAAC Favorites
The Seahawks were named MAAC preseason favorites on Friday, January 20.
Wagner received seven out of 10 first place votes.
Along with being named preseason favorites, senior
Abbey Simshauser was named Preseason Player of the Year and to the Preseason Team.
Junior's
Andrea Arias and
Mar Navarro was also named to the Preseason Team.
Wagner holds a 92-5 record in MAAC play since 2014. The 2014 season was the first of six consecutive titles for Wagner. The Seahawks also reached the MAAC title game from 2011-2013.
Wagner has appeared in the conference title game 13 times while claiming a conference-high nine titles.
The Seahawks last conference defeat came in the 2019 regular season finale on a forfeit against Marist. Before that, Wagner's last MAAC loss came on April 11, 2015 against Marist.
National Recognition
Wagner enters the 2023 season ranked #15 in the College Water Polo Association (CWPA) poll as this is the eighth consecutive season the Seahawks have entered the season in the top-25.
Last season, Wagner entered the season 23rd in the nation as they finished the season 13th, the second-highest in program history.
The Returners
Wagner returns 15 players from the team last season, including three All-Americans and four All-Conference performers.
Graduate student
Malia Josephson,
Abbey Simshauser and
Andrea Arias were named Association of College Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) All-Americans last season.
Simshauser was named a Third Team All-American, the first player in program history to receive recognition higher than Honorable Mention.
All three players return as All-MAAC performers from last season, along with
Mar Navarro.
Simshauser earned First Team honors along with Co-Offensive Player of the Year.
Josephson, Arias and Navarro earned Second Team nods.
The Newcomers
Wagner welcomes five newcomers for the 2023 season as
Francesca Sena,
Martina Parisi,
Genevieve Bland,
Maggie Pike and
Magali Ogg join the Seahawk family.
About The UCSB Winter Invite
Wagner will play five games over three days as they will take on Ottawa University Arizona, California State Monterey Bay, UCLA, California State Fullerton and San Diego State.
UCLA enters the season ranked #3 and San Diego State enters the season ranked #22.
What's Next
Following the UCSB Winter Invite, Wagner will head to Princeton, NJ to take place in the Princeton Winter Tournament from January 28-29.
There, the Seahawks will take on UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, Princeton and Bucknell. UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara and Princeton were named in the CWPA preseason poll.
