Indianapolis, IN – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Champion Wagner women's water polo team is set to face McKendree University in the opening round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Wednesday, May 7 at 6:00 p.m. ET.
Last Time Out
The Seahawks punched their ticket to the national stage by claiming their second straight MAAC title with a 14-11 victory over Marist on Sunday, April 26. The win marked Wagner's first back-to-back championship since its historic six-year run from 2014 to 2019 and secured the program's 12th overall MAAC crown.
Season Recap
Wagner concluded the regular season with a 19-8 record, highlighted by six top-25 victories. The Seahawks earned their first-ever win over No. 16 Michigan (12-8) on February 8, followed by a 14-9 triumph over No. 14 Indiana the next day. Their third ranked win came on March 2 against No. 23 Cal Baptist. With these key wins, Wagner rose from a preseason No. 18 national ranking to a season-best No. 15 in the ACWPC Week 4 poll.
Individually, senior attacker
Carlota Alonso was named MAAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year, while junior goalkeeper
Francesca Sena earned her second consecutive MAAC Goalkeeper of the Year honor. Junior attacker
Magali Ogg received First Team All-MAAC recognition, and sophomore
Ana Arias was named to the Second Team.
Wagner In The NCAA Tournament
This marks Wagner's 13th NCAA Tournament appearance. The Seahawks are 4-8 all-time, with their most recent tournament win coming in last year's Opening Round — a thrilling 15-14 victory over Biola. Wagner's other NCAA wins came against Salem (2022) and UC San Diego (2017, 2018).
The Seahawks have qualified for every NCAA Tournament since 2014, except in 2021 and 2023. Head Coach
Josh Hower enters his second NCAA Tournament appearance at the helm.
Scouting McKendree
McKendree captured its first Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) title with a 7-5 win over Biola to earn its first NCAA Tournament berth. This will be the second-ever meeting between Wagner and McKendree, with the Seahawks winning the only prior matchup 19-4 during the 2018 Bruno Classic.
The Bearcats placed four players on the WWPA All-Tournament Team, highlighted by senior goalkeeper Sydney Kane, who was named Most Outstanding Player. Sophomore center Bella Morquecho and junior attacker Joey Rebelo earned First Team honors, while fifth-year attacker Jasmin Guzman was named to the Second Team. Led by Head Coach Alex Figueras, the WWPA Coach of the Year, McKendree enters the tournament at 21-7 overall with a final 3-1 mark in conference play.
The Bearcats recently made their debut in the CWPA national poll, entering at No. 23.
Where To Watch
Admission to the Opening Round is free for all spectators. The game will be streamed live on the
IU Natatorium YouTube channel. NCAA.com will carry free streams of the First Round and Semifinals, while the Championship game will air on ESPNU and stream on ESPN+ (subscription required). Live statistics for the entire tournament will be available via 6-8 Sports, with a complete box score posted on Wagner's website following the match.
What's Next
The winner of Wednesday's matchup will advance to face No. 1 seed Stanford (22-1) in the NCAA First Round on Friday, May 9 at 12:00 p.m. ET.
