Bucknell University Athletics
Several Bison Women's Water Polo Award Winners Announced
6/20/2001 8:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
June 20, 2001
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell women's water polo team, in its third year as a varsity sport, concluded its 2001 season with a team banquet held last month. Twelve members of the team were the recipients of eight different awards, presented by head coach John Zeigler.
Senior co-captain Julie McLaughlin (Woodside, Calif./Menlo) received the Allyson Gillespie Award. The award recognizes "demonstrated leadership, loyalty, and total dedication to Bucknell women's water polo" and was established in honor of former player, captain and coach of the club team, and 1996 graduate of Bucknell. A three-time all-academic team member, McLaughlin was third on the squad in points with 79 after registering 45 goals and 34 assists. She also grabbed 52 steals and had 17 ejections drawn.
Zeigler presented the Vicki Gorman Award to Bison co-captain, Paige Cull (Bay City, Mich./John Glenn). The award was named after Gorman, a 1993 Bucknell graduate and former club player. Gorman was the first Bison to represent BU as a member of the U.S. National Team. A senior, Cull holds the Bucknell record for goals in a career, ending her tenure at BU with 132 scores and 39 assists. This season alone, Cull scored a career-best 55 goals while handing out a career-high 21 assists. In addition, she led the team with 80 steals.
In honor of the inaugural varsity season, The Class of '99 Award was established in recognition of the first graduating class of women's water polo players whose "perseverance and dedication led to the establishment of the program" at Bucknell. This year the award was given to senior Allison Hernandez (Newton, Pa./Pennsbury). Hernandez saw limited action in her three years on the team, but ends her career with 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 points.
This season, Zeigler presented the Most Improved Award to junior Dana Clarke (Collegeville, Pa./Methacton) and sophomore Elizabeth Wilmarth (Brookline, Mass./Brookline). Clarke nearly doubled her career total for goals this season, scoring 14 times to give her 29 goals in her career. Wilmarth went from seeing very limited action and scoring only one goal as a freshman, to an eight goal, one assist season as a sophomore.
The 2001 Offensive Most Valuable Player Award was given to juniors Brooke Rea (Canandaigua, N.Y./Los Altos) and Adrienne Schober (Houston, Texas/Clearlake), while sophomore Lindsay Chesterfield (Kingston, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) was the recipient of the Defensive Most Valuable Player Award and freshman Kelly Hofstetter (Scotts Valley, Calif./Harbor) was tabbed the Rookie of the Year.
Rea scored a team-best 58 goals while also handing out 27 assists for 85 points, second highest on the team. Schober was the team-leader in points with 93 on 35 goals and 58 assists. Chesterfield was the net minder for the Bison, starting all 31 games and ending the year with a save percentage of .523 on 267 saves and 244 goals against. Her 267 saves is a new season standard at Bucknell. Hofstetter made an immediate impact on the Orange and Blue program, scoring 44 goals and handing out 19 assists for 63 points. That total makes her the highest scoring freshman in Bucknell women's water polo history.
The final major award of the team's banquet was The Coach's Award, which Zeigler presented to senior Kimberly Kaczor (Union, N.J./Union), sophomore Katie Stahler (San Diego, Calif./Mt. Carmel) and freshman Caity Selleck (Hamilton, N.Y./Hamilton Central) for "unwavering commitment and a selfless generosity to her teammates."
The 2001 women's water polo team finished the year with a school record for victories, going 18-13 overall and 2-6 in conference play.
