3-Peat: CWPA Titles Have Different Meanings
5/4/2018 12:03:00 PM | Water Polo, Features
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan water polo team qualified for its third straight NCAA appearance on Sunday (April 29) with an 11-8 win over Princeton to earn the program's third consecutive CWPA championship and eighth in school history.
The run of titles under head coach Dr. Marcelo Leonardi has matched the longest streak in program history. Michigan also won three straight from 2008-10. U-M also won CWPA's in 2002 and 2005 before making a pair of championship runs. Being a part of Michigan history is something that is special to Leonardi.
"When you have a chance to three-peat it says a lot about your recruitment, coaching staff, the resources going into the program, the system and total buy in," said Leonardi. "We've been able to maintain consistency for three years despite graduation, injuries, attrition or whatever variables are presented each year."
Leonardi has enjoyed early success in his tenure at Michigan, winning the conference and making the NCAA Tournament in three of his four seasons. After the team went 19-13 in 2015 and had a disappointing finish at the CWPA Championship, Leonardi knew it was a building year and that his team had a chance to be special moving forward. The different trials and tribulations each year have made each championship special in its own way.
The 2016 team featured a group of student-athletes who were hungry to win. While U-M had a history of success in conference play, the program hadn't won a title since 2010, finishing second in both 2011 and 2013. That meant that nobody in the program had been a part of a championship team.
"That was a big one because no one on the team had won before," said junior Kim Johnson, who was a freshman at the time. "It was all about the seniors. They had never won before so the whole team wanted to win it for them. That one was awesome and the celebration was amazing."
The team won a hard-fought semifinal game against Princeton, 9-8, and then rolled to a 9-2 victory in the championship. The final game was owned from start to finish by the Maize and Blue as it earned its first championship in six years.
The team developed a "why not us" mentality that year after earning historic victories over No. 3 Cal and No. 9 UC Irvine during the regular season. They carried that attitude to the postseason where they won their NCAA quarterfinal game against No. 4 Arizona State on a last-second shot. It was the first time in school history the team made it to the NCAA semifinals in an eight-team field. They ended up placing fourth in the country.
The historic run in 2016 put a target on Michigan's back in 2017. The team once again excelled throughout the season and swept through conference play undefeated at 8-0 for the second straight year.
"Winning last year was almost a sense of relief," said Leonardi. "There was more pressure on us."
The team won a tight 5-4 battle with Princeton to earn the crown for a second straight year. The team then drew No. 3 USC in the NCAA quarterfinals and lost 12-6.
This year's title was a challenge for different reasons. The team suffered numerous injuries throughout the year and rarely had its full complement of talent available. It was also a very youthful team with 13 of the 19 on the roster in just their first or second year. The team went into the tournament as the No. 2 seed, falling out of the top spot after two straight years going undefeated in the CWPA regular season.
"It was a new feeling to me because I had never lost a conference game before," said Johnson. The two years before I was super confident that we would win but this time we had a loss going in. We really needed to give it everything and when we went out strong at the beginning it was awesome."
The Wolverines built a 6-1 lead in the first quarter on the top seed Princeton and led by two or more goals the rest of the way in the championship game. They won 11-8 to complete the three-peat. It was a special moment for the seniors, who weren't sure after their first year on campus if they would have that opportunity. However, the saying at Michigan is, "Those who stay will be champions."
"There is some pride in that statement," said senior Caroline Anderson. "We have been through adversity but have also had some really great moments. For all those moments, to come together and make three NCAA appearances is extra special."
Team 18 is confident heading into the NCAA Tournament this year. The Wolverines will leave for California following their Monday practice. The coaching staff has mimicked a plan they put together in 2016 to spend two extra days in California in preparation for the tournament. With the team finishing up academically before the conference championship, it allows them to take the extra time.
"Having a few days to prepare will help us acclimate to the sun and playing outside with wind, acclimate to the time change and get us as ready and prepared as possible heading into the tournament," said Anderson.
California is the home to 12 members of the Michigan water polo team and will give them a chance to compete on the big stage in their home state. The Wolverines will play on Friday, May 11, at 5:15 p.m. PDT against No. 3 California on the campus of USC.
