Season in Review: 2018 Michigan Water Polo

• Team Captains: Caroline Anderson, Laura Jimenez, Christina O'Beck
• Record: 32-9 overall, 7-1 CWPA (2nd Place)
• CWPA Championship: Champions
• NCAA Championship: Quarterfinals

The 2018 season marked the 18th year of the University of Michigan water polo program. Team 18 earned a three-peat, winning the CWPA Championship for the third straight season and eighth time in school history to qualify for its eighth NCAA Championship. The Wolverines earned an 11-8 victory over No. 10 Princeton in the CWPA championship game and later lost, 13-6, to No. 3 Cal in the NCAA quarterfinals.

U-M ended the year with a 32-9 record, including a 7-1 mark in conference play during the regular season. The Wolverines are now 30-2 in Collegiate Water Polo Association play under head coach Dr. Marcelo Leonardi in four seasons. Michigan finished the season with a No. 9 ranking, earning a top-10 final ranking for the third straight season.

Water Polo NCAA Championship Team Photo

Water Polo CWPA Champions

Team Highlights

• Michigan completed its eighth 30-win season in program history and second in the last three years. Head coach Dr. Marcelo Leonardi has led them to .750 winning percentage or better in each of the last three years.

• The Wolverines earned the conference championship three-peat for the second time in program history, matching a run of three straight titles from 2008-10.

• U-M matched its fourth longest win streak in program history, stringing together 20 straight victories in the middle of its season. It was the fifth time Michigan had won 20 consecutive games or more.

• Michigan was ranked in the top 10 for 49 consecutive polls before dropping to No. 11 on April 18. The following week the Wolverines were back among the top 10 and finished the season at No. 9 in the polls for a third straight final top-10 ranking.

• The Wolverines had perhaps their best defensive season under Leonardi, holding opponents to single digits in 38 of the 41 games, including a stretch of 29 straight games before the NCAA Tournament. U-M held 17 teams to five or fewer goals and finished with a team 6.30 goals against average, the best since 2009.

Caroline Anderson

Julia Sellers

Maddy Steere

Individual Highlights

• Senior Caroline Anderson had a record-breaking season for the Wolverines. The captain from Palo Alto, California, set new single-season records with 85 assists and 131 points. She also finished her career as the record-holder in career assists (280) and points (466). She is the only player in Michigan history to record four straight 100-point seasons. She also set single-game records with seven assists and 11 points against George Washington.

• Junior Julia Sellers had a breakout year for U-M. The Santa Ana, California, native scored a team-high 81 goals to set a junior scoring record and become the fifth player at Michigan to score 80 goals or more. Over her first two seasons, she scored a combined 80 goals. Sellers also had a career-high 114 points and 46 steals this season and was the CWPA Tournament MVP and an All-CWPA first team selection.

• Sophomore Maddy Steere made it back-to-back seasons with 100 points, finishing the year with 74 goals and 34 assists for 108 points. Steere, a Pascoe Vale, Australia, native, is the third player to have two 100-point seasons at Michigan. Her stat sheet was full with 50 drawn exclusions, 47 steals and 18 field blocks to help her earn first team All-CWPA honors.

• Despite playing her third different position in as many seasons, junior Kim Johnson had another stellar campaign for the Wolverines with a career-high 64 goals, 48 drawn exclusions and 58 steals. She was named the team's defensive MVP and was also productive on offense with 95 points.

• Sophomore Heidi Ritner followed up her standout freshman year with a single-season record 30 wins in 2018. The Newport Beach, California, native improved her goals-against average to 6.25 (6.95 in 2017) and made 213 saves.

Seniors

Honors and Awards

Julia
Sellers

Maddy
Steere

Caroline
Anderson

Heidi
Ritner

Kim
Johnson

CWPA
All-CWPA (First Team): Julia Sellers, Maddy Steere
CWPA Tournament MVP: Julia Sellers
CWPA All-Tournament (First Team): Julia Sellers, Maddy Steere

CWPA Weekly Honors
Player of the Week: Maddy Steere (Jan. 24), Caroline Anderson (March 14), Caroline Anderson (April 5) and Julia Sellers (April 11)
Defensive Player of the Week: Heidi Ritner (Jan. 24), Sofie Pontré (March 7), Heidi Ritner (March 14)
Rookie of the Week: Sofie Pontré (Jan. 24), Maddy Johnston (March 1), Kathy Rogers (March 22), Maddy Johnston (April 5)