Michigan
Brown
Top-Seeded Michigan Sets Sights on CWPA Championship
4/20/2022 4:10:00 PM | Water Polo
» Michigan is looking to win its sixth consecutive CWPA title.
» Michigan will either either Brown or Bucknell in a semifinal game on Saturday (April 23) at 2:30 p.m.
» Maddy Steere, Maddie O'Reilly, and Alex Brown are on the cusp of single-season records.
» The CWPA champion will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship, which Michigan will host May 6-8.
THIS WEEK
Saturday, April 23 -- vs. Brown or Bucknell (Lewisburg, Pa.), 2:30 p.m.
Live Video
Sunday, April 24Â -- First- or Third-Place game (Lewisburg, Pa.) 10:30 a.m. or Noon
Live Video: Third-Place Game | Championship Game
Tournament Central
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The No. 7-ranked University of Michigan water polo team (24-8, 12-0 CWPA) heads to the 2022 CWPA Championship as the No. 1 seed this weekend (April 22-24) in Lewisburg, Pa. hosted by Bucknell University.
Michigan is the No. 1 seed for the tournament and received a first-round bye. The Wolverines will open against the winner of Brown and Bucknell at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday (April 23). The consolation match is scheduled for the following day (April 24) at 10:30 a.m. and the championship match is slated for noon. All events will be shown live on Stretch Internet.
The CWPA champion will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship, which Michigan is set to host May 6-8 at Canham Natatorium in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Team Notes
• Michigan will try to win its sixth consecutive CWPA Championship and 11th overall this weekend in Lewisburg, Pa.
• The Wolverines are 48-12 all-time in the CWPA Tournament with 10 titles and 14 trips to the championship game.
• Michigan has won each of the last five CWPA Championships (no tournament held in 2020). The Wolverines defeated Bucknell in 2021 (12-5), Princeton in 2019 (10-6), 2018 (11-8), and 2017 (5-4) and Indiana in 2016 (9-2).
• Maddie O'Reilly leads the CWPA with 68 goals, 60 assists, 2.1 goals per game, and 4.0 points per game. Nationally, O'Reilly sits tied for fifth in total points with 128.
• The top five assist leaders in the CWPA are all Wolverines: O'Reilly (60) Kata Utassy (31), Maddy Steere (28), Kayla Barone (27) and Ava Morrant (25).
• Steere leads the conference in field blocks with 14, and in steals with 42.
• Alex Brown leads the CWPA with 204 saves and Sophie Jackson ranks second with 109. Brown is ranked ninth nationally.
Undefeated in Conference
• The Wolverines ended the conference portion of the season with a perfect 12-0 in CWPA play, earning their 13th undefeated conference season in 21 years of the program (excluding the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
• That 12-0 record results in a 54-2 record in conference games over the last eight seasons under head coach Dr. Marcelo Leonardi.
• Michigan defeated Bucknell, Saint Francis, Brown, Mount St. Mary's, Harvard, and Princeton on two occasions each this season.
• Michigan outscored its conference opponents, 178-63, in its 12 wins for an average margin of victory of more than nine goals per game.
• The offense averaged 11.7 goals per game and shot 52 percent from the field, while the defense held opponents to just 5.3 goals per game.
• Against conference opponents, Brown boasts a .664 save percentage and allows only 5.20 goals per game with 77 saves.
Eye on Record Lists
• Steere is eyeing a couple of records as this season nears its close. She is No. 3 on the career assists and points list and needs just four more assists to move up to No. 2. She also ranks fourth on the career goals list with 223 goals.
• O'Reilly is currently No. 4 in total goals in a season for seniors (68), No. 8 on the career goals list (188), and No. 9 on total goals in a season all-time (68). In assists, she sits at No. 5 with 60 assists this season, No. 4 in total assists all-time (150), and No. 2 in assists in a season as a senior. In points, O'Reilly is just three away from taking over the No. 1 spot for points in a single season (128) and three away from total points as a senior. In career points, she sits at No. 7 with 338 points.
• Brown is just two saves away from breaking into the top ten in saves for a single season (206). She is No. 9 in career saves with 285 saves, No. 3 in saves as a junior, No. 5 in single-season save percentage with a .585 save percentage and No. 2 in save percentage as a junior.
Opponent Previews
Brown: Brown comes into the 2022 CWPA Championship seeded fourth with a record of 24-13 and 7-5 in conference play. The Bears are led by Zoe King with 67 goals and Lily Weiser with 43 goals. Katie Klein leads the team with 37 assists while King has 36 and Weiser has 34. In goal, Marley Presiado leads the team in saves with 185 while allowing 175 goals. Presiado has recorded 25 steals and 4 assists.
Bucknell: Bucknell comes into the 2022 CWPA Championship seeded fifth with a record of 9-15 and 3-9 in conference play. The Bison are led by Paige Furano with 41 goals and 16 assists. On the defensive side, Isabella Monaghan leads her team and ranks second in the CWPAwith 11 field blocks. In goal, Annika Lampen has recorded 96 saves on the season, which ranks fourth in the CWPA.
