Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Water Polo Team Opens 2002 Season at Princeton Invitational This Weekend
2/14/2002 7:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
Feb. 14, 2002
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Now in its fourth year of existence as a varsity sport, the Bucknell women's water polo team has witnessed a steady improvement in the program over the first three years. Much of that success can be attributed to third-year head coach John Zeigler, a 1991 graduate of Bucknell. In his first season, Zeigler coached the squad to a 16-14 record, a winning season in only its second year as a varsity sport. Last year, the team improved to 18-13 and things are looking promising for that success to continue.
In addition to Zeigler, two vocal leaders on the team this season will be senior co-captains Brooke Rea (Canandaigua, N.Y./Los Altos) and Adrienne Schober (Houston, Texas/Clearlake). Rea, a transfer student who joined the team as a sophomore, made an immediate impact on the program, both offensively and mentally. A regional Academic All-America a year ago, Rea has been among the team leaders the past three seasons in goals, assists, and points scored. Last season, the 2-meter set finished second in scoring with 85 points, good for second on the Bucknell all-time single season points list. She finished second only to Schober.
Schober has had a tremendous career for the Orange and Blue, shattering the single-season assist record last year with a squad-high 58 helpers. The team leader in points the past two seasons, Schober will be counted on to continue her offensive dominance, while also improving on her defensive skills and continuing to lead by example.
"This is the hardest working team that I have coached since arriving back to Bucknell," commented Coach Zeigler. "Much of that is due to the work ethic instilled by our two captains Brooke Rea and Adrienne Schober. Both are top players on the squad and not only bring different individual skills to the team but also incredible leadership qualities."
Also returning for her final season is senior Meredith Stevens (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier). Stevens has constantly improved her game over the first four years and will be expected to step it up another notch this season. A versatile player, Stevens will see time as a driver for the squad, and will also be called to serve as a backup goalkeeper.
Another member of the senior class on the 2002 team will be newcomer Barb Morgan. Morgan, a former school record holder in the 200-breaststroke for the women's swimming team, joins the squad in her final year. Morgan will help Stevens and starting goalkeeper Lindsay Chesterfield (Kingston, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) in the net.
Chesterfield, a junior, enters her second season as the primary goalkeeper for the Bison. A year ago, she set a school record for saves in a season with 267 stops in just her first full season as a starter. With the added experience, Chesterfield is going to be expected to step up her game a notch and have another solid season.
Other members of a large junior class are Jamie Fulop (Neshanic Station, N.J./Somerville), Elizabeth Wilmarth (Brookline, Mass./Brookline) and Katie Stahler (San Diego, Calif./Mt. Carmel).
Fulop and Wilmarth are a pair of junior drivers entering their third year with the Orange and Blue. Fulop scored her first career points last season and saw increased playing time that is likely to carry over to this season. Wilmarth notched a career-high eight goals a year ago and earned the team's Most Improved Player award at the end of year banquet. Wilmarth will be expected to continue to improve her game and step in and contribute offensively from her driver position.
A driver/2-meter player, Stahler recorded another solid campaign for the Bison. Scoring 26 times and assisting on 16 goals was enough to rank her sixth on the team in overall scoring, but she also added 50 steals to her numbers to close out a well rounded season. A talented player who has steadily increased her defensive presence, Stahler will be a vital part of the Bucknell unit. She will be tested early in the season after undergoing shoulder surgery over the summer.
A talented sophomore class returns for the 2002 season. A year ago, rookie Kelly Hofstetter (Scotts Valley, Calif./Harbor) became the highest scoring freshman in school history with a 44 goal, 19 assist season. She will be joined by classmates Daniela Faas (Ludwigshafen, Germany/Worcester Academy (Mass.)), Caity Selleck (Hamilton, N.Y./Hamilton Central) and Katie Webber (Southampton, Mass./Williston Northampton School). Faas is another dual athlete for Bucknell, also participating in swimming as an All-Patriot League performer. For the water polo squad, Faas was the second-highest scoring rookie of a year ago, tallying 11 goals and adding four assists. Selleck, the 2001 recipient of The Coach's Award for 'unwavering commitment and a selfless generosity to her teammates,' will look to improve on her numbers of a year ago. Webber chipped in with five goals and three assists in her first season and will be counted on to improve on those numbers in the upcoming season.
An extremely talented freshman class joins the squad this season. The Orange and Blue welcome the skills of Ashley Aiken (San Ramon, Calif./California), Meg Blitzer (Durham, N.H./Phillips Academy), Larissa Brown (University Place, Wash./Curtis Senior), Katie Hartigan (Coronado, Calif./The Bishop's School), Cody Keffer (Berkeley, Calif./Berkeley) and Eileen Ketterer (Altamonte Spring, Fla./Lyman), adding to an already deep roster. Several of the newcomers are already making a strong push for starting positions.
"The addition of such a strong first-year squad makes us a deep one for the first time in our program's history, having the ability to utilize a much larger rotation of players," said Zeigler.
The 2002 edition of the Bucknell women's water polo team has not taken the easy road to victory for the upcoming season.
"Although it would be impressive to better our 18-13 record of a year ago," stated Zeigler, "that will be a challenge, as I have designed a much tougher schedule to help us improve and take that next step program-wise towards being an Eastern Championship contender."
The Bison open their season at the Princeton Invitational on Saturday and Sunday, February 16-17, facing three nationally-ranked teams over the course of two days. The squad will participate in the Loyola Marymount tournament over spring break, facing several top-ranked schools on the trip. After missing the Eastern Championship last year, the team has set its sights on a return trip to the tournament with the end result an invitation to the NCAA Championship. With a challenging ledger ahead of them, the Orange and Blue women's water polo team is sure to gain the valuable experience necessary to be on their way to their goal.
