Weekly Release #10
4/23/2007 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
Sat-Sun., April 28-29 -- at Eastern Championship (Princeton, N.J.)
April 28 -- vs. Bucknell, Noon EDT
April 28 -- Maryland or Princeton, 5:30 or 8:30 p.m. EDT
April 29 -- Championship Round
Fri-Sun., May 11-13 -- NCAA Championships (Los Alamitos, Calif.)
This Week
The No. 19-ranked University of Michigan women's water polo team (23-14, 6-1 CWPA) earned the No. 2 seed for the Eastern Championship last weekend (April 28-29) for the third straight season. Michigan will face Bucknell Saturday at noon EDT in the first round of the Eastern Championship at Princeton's DeNunzio Pool, marking the fourth time in the past five years U-M has opened up against the Bison. A Wolverine win over Bucknell will place them against the winner of Princeton and Maryland at 8:30 p.m., while a loss will put them in a 5:30 p.m. contest against the loser of the Tigers and Terrapins.
The Wolverines -- fresh off a thrilling 8-6 overtime win over Indiana this past weekend to capture their sixth straight division title -- look to earn the CWPA bid to the National tournament by winning the Eastern Championship.
Updated scores can be found at the CWPA results page and live updates can be found on MGoBlue.com.
Eastern Championship Seeding/Schedule
No. 1 Seed -- Hartwick
No. 2 Seed -- MICHIGAN
No. 3 Seed -- Princeton
No. 4 Seed -- Brown
No. 5 Seed -- Indiana
No. 6 Seed -- Maryland
No. 7 Seed -- Bucknell
No. 8 Seed -- Harvard
Saturday, April 28
Game 1 -- Hartwick vs. Harvard, 9 a.m.
Game 2 -- Brown vs. Indiana, 10:30 a.m.
Game 3 -- MICHIGAN vs. Bucknell, 12 p.m.
Game 4 -- Princeton vs. Maryland, 1:30 p.m.
Game 5 -- Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 4 p.m.
Game 6 -- Loser of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4, 5:30 p.m.
Game 7 -- Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 7 p.m.
Game 8 -- Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4, 8:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 29
Game 9 -- Loser of Game 5 vs. Loser of Game 6, 9 a.m. (Seventh-Place Game)
Game 10 -- Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6, 10:30 a.m. (Fifth-Place Game)
Game 11 -- Loser of Game 7 vs. Loser of Game 8, 12 p.m. (Third-Place Game)
Game 12 -- Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 8, 1:30 p.m. (First-Place Game)
Live Video Stream Available for Eastern Championship
Princeton University will stream live video (subscription required) of all the Eastern Championship games this weekend at GoPrincetonTigers.com. Pricing for the service is $7.95 for the month.
Scouting the Opponents
Brown -- The Bears (21-9) hold the No. 4 seed this weekend and will face Hartwick. The Bears are coming off a second-place finish at the Northern Division Championships this past weekend where they dropped an 18-6 decision to Hartwick in the final game. The BU offense is led by the trio of Elizabeth Balassone, Lauren Presant and Sarah Glick. Jason Gall heads the women's water polo program at Brown, where he has compiled a winning record since taking the job in 2004. U-M is 7-3 all-time against BU, but dropped a close 8-7 decision earlier this season at the Wolverine Invitational. Michigan downed Brown 6-5 in the first round of the Eastern Championship last season.
Brown on the Web: brownbears.com
Bucknell -- The Bison (14-15) earned the seventh seed and will take on the Wolverines in the first round. Bucknell earned third at the Southern Championships last weekend after downing George Washington 11-3. The Bison offense is guided by a pair of 50-goal scorers in Meagan Gins (58 g) and Elizabeth Jensen (50 g). In the cage, Mandy Bynum backstops the defense and has made 201 saves in 26 games in 2007. John Zeigler is head coach of Bucknell and since 2000 when he took the position, has compiled a 138-116 record, including six straight Eastern Championship bids. Michigan owns a perfect 5-0 record versus Bucknell in the all-time series. The Wolverines opened up an 8-3 lead on the way to an 11-7 win over the Bison earlier this season in the final game of the Terrapin Invitational.
Bucknell on the Web: bucknellbison.com
Hartwick -- The Hawks (27-9) -- the top seed this weekend -- won the CWPA Northern Division title this past weekend after beating Brown, 18-6. Kirsten Hudson is Hartwick's leading scorer with 76 goals. Fifty-goal scorers Ellen Sevigny (56 g) and Christina Evans (52 g) are not far behind. Olivia Colebourne has notched 240 saves in the cage this season, while recording 50 steals in 29 contests. Alan Huckins resides as head coach of the Hawks. He owns four Northern Division titles in his four seasons as head coach. Michigan is 6-3 all-time against Hartwick, losing the last meeting 11-8 in the finals of the 2006 Eastern Championship.
Hartwick on the Web: www.hartwick.edu/x50.xml
Harvard -- Harvard (11-12) holds the eighth seed this weekend and enters the Eastern Championship having won its last contest 9-0 over Queens to take third at the Northern Division Championship. Third-year head coach Erik Farrar leads the Crimson water polo program. Michigan is a perfect 2-0 against Harvard all-time, winning the last meeting 12-9 at the 2006 Brown Mini.
Harvard athletics on the Web: www.gocrimson.com
Indiana -- The Hoosiers (17-13) hold the fifth seed this weekend and will take on Brown in the first round of the Eastern Championship. IU fell to Michigan, 8-6, in overtime in the Western Division title game. The Hoosier offense is led by Brooke Zimmerman (68 g) and Melissa Soria (56 g). Zimmerman owns a spot in the top 20 nationally in goal scoring. Barry King is in his 10th season as head coach at Indiana, and over that time he has compiled over 200 wins. Michigan is 2-1 this season versus the Hoosiers and owns a 21-5-1 record all-time against IU. U-M downed its western division rival 12-7 at the Michigan Kick-Off and rebounded from a 9-7 overtime setback on April 7 by completing a two-goal comeback to down the Hoosiers 8-6 this past weekend in the CWPA Western Division Final.
Indiana on the Web: www.iuhoosiers.com
Maryland -- The Terrapins (13-16) hold the sixth seed and will play Princeton in the first round of this weekend's Eastern Championships. Maryland took down the 16th-ranked Tigers 9-8 with a last-second shot to capture the CWPA Southern Division title last weekend. Underclassmen Shannon Simerly and Elizabeth Hopkins lead the Maryland offense, while goalkeepers Marissa Corwin and Ashleigh Jobson backstop the Terrapin defense. Carl Salyer is in his third season as head coach at Maryland where he has developed the program from its winless inaugural season in 2004 to a 19-14 record last season and a seventh-place finish at the 2006 Eastern Championship. U-M defeated the Terrapins 11-7 earlier this season in the only all-time matchup between the two schools.
Maryland on the Web: umterps.com
Princeton -- The Tigers (18-8) hold the No. 3 seed this weekend and will earn a rematch with Maryland, who they fell to 9-8 this past weekend in the Southern Division title game. Leading scorer Eylse Colgan stars for the Tigers on offense and has been tops on the squad in scoring in each of the past three seasons. Colgan earned her third straight Southern Division MVP in 2006 thanks to her 47 goals and 23 assists in 25 games. Luis Nicolao is in his ninth season as Princeton's head coach. He also leads the Tigers' men's water polo program. Michigan is 8-2 all-time versus Princeton, including defeating the Tigers 10-8 earlier this season at the Terrapin Invitational.
Princeton on the Web: www.goprincetontigers.com
Wolverines Look to Return to NCAA Championships
The Maize and Blue will attempt to take the momentum of its sixth straight division championship into Easterns this weekend and earn the CWPA bid to the NCAA Championships. Michigan fell to Hartwick in the Eastern final game in 2006 by a score of 11-8. In 2005, U-M defeated Indiana 8-7 to earn the program's second trip to the NCAA Championships. U-M also reached the NCAA tournament in 2002 after winning a four-overtime decision over Indiana in the Eastern semifinals and double-overtime decision in the finals against Hartwick. The Wolverines have reached the Eastern final game in each of the past three seasons.
Michigan is 15-4 all-time in Eastern Championship matches. The Maize and Blue went 2-1 in 2001, falling to Brown in the first game. In 2002, Michigan won all four contests, including a 7-6 overtime victory over Hartwick to earn the program's first ever NCAA Championship bid. The Wolverines went 2-1 in both 2003 and 2004, losing to Brown in the semifinal in 2003 and falling to Hartwick in the finals of the 2004 championship. In 2005, U-M defeated the Hoosiers in their own home pool, 8-7, to earn Matt Anderson's first career NCAA Championship visit. Last season, Michigan downed Brown, 6-5, and Princeton, 8-5, before falling to Hartwick, 11-8, in the finals.
Michigan has faced Bucknell in three of the past four first-round matches at Easterns. U-M routed Bucknell 14-2 in the first roundof 2003 and 15-3 in the first roundof 2004. In 2005, U-M shut the Bison down 7-1 in first-round action.
Welch Remains Atop Wolverines in Scoring
Senior Shana Welch (Larksville, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) continues to shine in her final season as a Wolverine, tallying a team-best 118 points on a team-high 79 goals and 39 assists. Her point total is the highest in program history and bests her own previous program mark of 102 (75 g, 27 a), which she set last season. Her goal total ranks in a tie for second by a Wolverine in a season all-time. Welch currently owns the school record of 84, which she earned in 2005.
Welch's assist total is a single-season, career high and ranks fourth for most in a season in school history. She needs five more helpers to reach third and pass Erin Brown (2002-05), who earned 43 in 2004.
The senior is the program's all-time leading scorer with 385 career points, leaving her 15 shy of an incredible 400. She is also the program's all-time leader in career steals and ranks third all-time in career assists with 107.
Ellison Saves Best for Last
Senior Wesley Ellison (Portola Valley, Calif./Palo Alto) stormed the pool at the Western Division Championships (April 21-22), notching seven goals to bring her season total to 27 -- a career best. She has also tallied 11 assists for 38 points; both stats are single-season career highs. With her seven goals this past weekend, Ellison went over 100 career points and currently owns 103 points (83 g, 30 a) in her career.
Ellison drewthree ejections this weekend to increase her career total to 95, which ranks fourth on Michigan's all-time list.
Hyrne an Offensive Machine in Sophomore Season
Sophomore Julie Hyrne (Sunnyvale, Calif./Archbishop Mitty) notched a team-high nine goals this past weekend at the Western Division Championships (April 21-22), including scoring both overtime markers in the comeback championship win over Indiana. As a result, Hyrne reached 79 goals for the season, which places her in a tie with Shana Welch for the team lead. Her goal total is the second-highest in any season by a Wolverine in U-M history, while her career goal total of 117 ranksfifth all-time.
Hyrne, who ranks fifth on the career goals list at Michigan, has also handed out a career-best 32 assists for 111 points. That point total ranks second all-time for points in a season at U-M.
Welch, Hyrne Continue Incredible Scoring Pace
Shana Welch and Julie Hyrne have each earned at least one point in every game they have played in this season. Each player ranks in the top 10 in the nation in scoring, with Hyrne scoring in all but one game.
Chatigny Rises in Record Books for Assists
Sophomore Mary Chatigny (Palm Springs, Calif./Palm Springs) has earned a team-best 43 assists this season, which ranks tied with Erin Brown (2002-05) for second all-time on the single-season helpers list at U-M. Chatigny is six short of tying the all-time leader for assists in a season, Jo Antonsen, who garnered a program-high 49 assists in 2005. Chatigny's assist total is more than twice her freshman-year mark of 16.
Chatigny has also netted 24 goals in 2007 for her second consecutive 20-goal season, giving her 67 points for the year, which ranks third on the Wolverines.
Frost Finds Groove in 2007
Sophomore Carrie Frost (Saline, Mich./Saline) has stepped up in the second half of this season and finished tied for the team lead in points at the Western Division Championships (April 21-22) with 12, pushing her over 100 career points (106 - 61 g, 45 a). On the year, Frost ranks third on the Wolverines in goals and has failed to notch a point in just six of 37 games, including posting seven games with three or more points.
Frost, who ranks fifth on the Wolverines in points with 62 (34 g, 28 a), has blasted past her freshman-year totals in goals, assists and points.
Robertson Tops Among Freshmen in Points
Freshman Leah Robertson (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor) is currently ranked fourth on U-M in scoring with 64 points on 27 goals and 37 assists. Robertson's assist total is the largest by a rookie in the history of the program and ranks fifth on U-M's single-season assists list. She already shattered the program record for steals in a season and is nearing 100 with her 92 thefts in 2007.
Best Ever Offense for 2007 Wolverines
Michigan notched 48 goals in three matches at the Western Division Championships (April 21-22) to reach 418 goals on the year, besting the school record for goals in a season (399, 2006).
Lucky Number Three
The Maize and Blue has notched 39 hat tricks in 2007, including 22 performances of four or more goals. U-M hat trick totals: Julie Hyrne 12, Shana Welch 10, Mary Chatigny 3, Carrie Frost 3, Leah Robertson 2, Wesley Ellison 2, Farren Rixter 2, Casie Kelly 1, Sarah Davila 1, Michelle Keeley 1, Allison Gorine 1, Logan Bjorkman 1. Welch owns a program-best 59 career hat tricks.
Wolverines Come Out Firing
The Wolverines have come out firing to start the half this season as they own a plus-51 (119-68) scoring margin in the opening period this season and a plus-52 (119-67) in third-period play. This is compared to still-impressive marks of plus-14 (89-75) in the second and plus-21 (88-67) in the fourth.
Hyrne's Heroics Hand U-M Sixth Straight Division Title
Sophomore Julie Hyrne (Sunnyvale, Calif./Archbishop Mitty) scored twice in overtime Sunday (April 22) as the No. 19-ranked University of Michigan women's water polo team came from two goals down to beat Indiana in overtime, 8-6, and win the Western Division Championship in Canham Natatorium. After trailing 6-4 with three minutes to play, Michigan scored twice in 16 seconds to force overtime and netted two second-overtime markers to win the division title for the sixth straight season. Seniors Wesley Ellison (Portola Valley, Calif./Palo Alto) and Shana Welch (Larksville, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) conclude their final game at Canham Natatorium with a division crown.
Wolverine Streaks
Point Streaks
Terri Bukofzer -- three games (one goal and four assists)
Mary Chatigny -- seven games (four goal and seven assists)
Carrie Frost -- five games (eight goals and seven assists)
Kelsey Haley -- four games (six assists)
Julie Hyrne -- 37 games (79 goals and 32 assists)
Leah Robertson -- 10 games (seven goals and 11 assists)
Shana Welch -- 35 games (79 goals and 39 assists)
Goal Streaks
Mary Chatigny -- three games (three goals)
Carrie Frost -- five games (eight goals)
Julie Hyrne -- 23 games (56 goals)
Shana Welch -- 13 games (36 goals)
Assist Streaks
Carrie Frost -- four games (seven assists)
Kelsey Haley -- four games (six assists)
Leah Robertson -- eight games (nine assists)
Milestone Watch
Shana Welch is seven goals shy of 300 for her career andseven assists shy of 100 for her career. Her next game will be 150th.
Shana Welch and Julie Hyrne, who each have 79 goals this season, need five goals apiece to tie the school record for goals in a season (Shana Welch, 84, 2005).
Wesley Ellison needsfive drawn ejections for 100 in her career.
Michelle Keeley is one goal shy of 50 for her career.
Kelsey Haley needs one assist to pass her freshman year total in helpers (30).
Kristen Davis' next block will be the 400th of her career.
Sharayah Hernandez' 44 points (24 g, 20 a) this season puts her seven points shy of her freshman season total of 51 (21 g, 30 a).
Leah Robertson is eight steals shy of 100 for the season and her career. Her 92 thefts are 38 more than the previous single-season record of 54, held by Megan Hausmann in 2006.
The Anderson Files
Head coach Matt Anderson is in his fifth season at the helm of the University of Michigan water polo program. In his five seasons at Michigan, Anderson has brought a hard-nosed playing philosophy and a defensive intensity to the Wolverines that have led to a 133-59 (.693) record and six CWPA Division titles. In his first season as the head coach of Michigan water polo, Anderson led the program to a 22-10 record, a third-place finish at the Eastern Championships and its second straight Southern Division crown. In 2004, Anderson guided Michigan to a school-record 30 victories as well as setting records in points (665), assists (291) and goals against average (4.61). Anderson also coached U-M to its third consecutive CWPA Division Championship crown, earning CWPA Western Division Coach of the Year honors. In 2005, Anderson led U-M to Western Division Championship and Eastern Championship titles and the program's first NCAA Championship win. He also was named Eastern Championship Coach of the Year in 2005.
Last season, Anderson coached U-M to its third straight Eastern Championship final and a 29-12 record, marking his third straight season with 29 or more wins. He also earned his 100th career win at Michigan in a 15-6 win against Slippery Rock on March 19. Anderson was named CWPA Western Division Coach of the Year for the third year in a row after winning the program's fifth straight division title in a thrilling 4-3 win over Indiana in the finals of the Western Division Championship.
On the Horizon ...
The Wolverines hope to win a trio of games this weekend to earn the CWPA bid to the NCAA Championships (Fri-Sun., May 11-13), hosted by Long Beach State in Los Alamitos, Calif.
Contact: Matt Baumer (734) 763-4423
