After Finals, U-M Shifts Focus to CWPA Championship
4/26/2016 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
April 26, 2016
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THIS WEEK
CWPA Championship (Cambridge, Mass.)
Friday, April 29
Game 5: Michigan vs. George Washington or Connecticut College, 6 p.m.
Saturday, April 30
If game 5 win: Michigan vs. Harvard or Princeton, 4:30 p.m.
If game 5 loss: Michigan vs. Game 7 winner, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 1
7th-place game: 9 a.m.
5th-place game: 10:30 a.m.
3rd-place game: Noon
Championship game: 1:30 p.m.
• Game Day Information: Blodgett Pool | Schedule | Stream
WHAT IS HAPPENING
The No. 1 seed University of Michigan water polo team (26-6) will wrap up its finals exams and head to Boston to compete in the CWPA Championships Friday-Sunday (April 29-May 1) at Harvard University.
THE TEAMS
• No. 1 seed Michigan (26-6, 7-0 CWPA) - finished undefeated in the CWPA season to claim the top seed; ranked No. 5 in the nation
• No. 2 seed Indiana (21-6, 6-1 CWPA) - only loss in conference came at home to Michigan, 11-8; ranked No. 14
• No. 3 seed Bucknell (16-14, 4-3 CWPA) - beat Harvard and Princeton in the final weekend to climb to the No. 3 seed and earn its highest ranking of the year at No. 21
• No. 4 seed Princeton (17-6, 4-3 CWPA) - all three losses came to the top three seeds in the conference; ranked No. 16
• No. 5 seed Harvard (22-8, 3-4 CWPA) - won three of last four CWPA games after starting 0-3; ranked No. 19
• No. 6 seed Hartwick (15-12, 3-4 CWPA) - lost four straight games to end the season; ranked No. 22
• No. 7 seed Brown (9-23, 1-6 CWPA) - on a five-game winning streak after beating both George Washington and Connecticut College in early April
• No. 8 seed George Washington (7-16, 0-7 CWPA) - did not win a conference game and is 1-10 against ranked teams
• No. 9 seed Connecticut College (15-6, 0-0 CWPA) - won the Division III title in the CWPA to earn a spot in the Division I championships; ranked No. 8 in Division III
THINGS TO KNOW
• Fans can watch a stream of the CWPA Championship at a cost of $10 per game or $25 for the weekend package.
• Tickets will be available at the door at a cost of $10 for a one-day pass or $25 for a three-day pass. Ages 65 and older can purchase tickets at $5 for one day or $10 for three days.
• Michigan went undefeated in conference play for the ninth time in 16 seasons, sweeping through a seven-game conference schedule to earn the No. 1 seed for the CWPA Championship.
• The Wolverines have won the CWPA Championship five times (2002, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010), with no current player having won a conference title.
• U-M is 35-12 (.745) all-time in the CWPA Championship, with top-three finishes in 12 of the previous 15 seasons.
• Last year, Michigan finished in fourth place with overtime losses to Indiana (9-8) in the semifinals and Hartwick (11-10) in the third-place game.
• Michigan's 26 victories are the program's most since a 32-5 season in 2011.
• The Wolverines won 21 games against ranked teams, seven more than any other season in program history.
• Michigan's seniors will miss both the U-M student-athlete graduation and the U-M commencement ceremony this weekend while playing for a conference title. Graduating will be Julia Campbell (communication studies), Emily Sejna (communication studies) and Kelly Martin (business administration). Senior Ali Thomason will continue to take classes towards a degree in neuroscience while doing some medical research after this term. She is expected to graduate in the fall.
Communications Contact: Ben Blevins
