Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Water Polo Opens 2005 Season This Weekend
2/9/2005 7:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
Feb. 9, 2005
LEWISBURG, Pa. - In its second year of play at the state-of-the-art Arthur D. Kinney Jr. Natatorium, the Bucknell women's water polo team posted a 16-18 record, improving its win total from the year before by two. The Bison hope to continue that upward trend in 2005 as they aim for a berth in the newly expanded NCAA field of eight teams.
Bucknell opens its 2005 campaign this weekend at the Princeton Invitational. The Bison open against Marist Saturday morning at 10:10 a.m. and will play a total of four games this weekend. They return home next weekend to host the Bucknell Invitational at Kinney Natatorium.
With best-ever finishes in both the Southern and Eastern Championships last year, sixth-year head coach John Zeigler has raised his expectations for the squad. He sees a Southern Championship as a legitimate goal after a third-place finish last year, and he wants the Bison to be among the top-four teams at the Eastern Championship. Following its seventh-place showing one year ago, Bucknell has the talent returning to improve and challenge for the first NCAA appearance in the seven-year history of the program. In the initial CWPA poll, Bucknell was chosen seventh in the conference.
The Bison return 14 of 19 players who netted goals in 2004 and lose only second-team all-conference selection Kelly Hofstetter from their regular rotation. Headlining the host of returning players is senior co-captain Meg Blitzer. One of the best players in school history, she was named to the Collegiate Water Polo Association all-conference first team after setting the school record for goals. The Durham, N.H., native netted 66 goals to shatter Dana Cull's five-year-old mark of 61. Blitzer also assisted on 24 scores to bring her point total to 90, second on BU's single-season list. Entering her final season in Orange and Blue, Blitzer stands fifth in career points, third in career goals and sixth in career assists. She also etched her name into the record books on the single-game level when she scored seven goals in an 11-7 win over Villanova in March. Along with her superior offensive output, Blitzer recorded a team-high 66 steals in 2004.
"Meg has one of the hardest shots on the East Coast," commented Zeigler. "She is our go-to player and has become confident with her shot. However, the best defenders will try to stop her, so we need others to step up and challenge themselves to shoulder more of the offensive load."
Senior co-captain Cody Keffer and classmate Katie Hartigan are among the players Zeigler expects to become larger parts of the offense. After scoring 98 goals and 55 assists her first two seasons, Keffer's production dropped off to 27 goals and 15 assists last year. A fixture in the lineup the past three seasons, Keffer has started 91 career games and will use that veteran experience to return to her form of her first two campaigns.
Hartigan, who started all but one game in 2004, was the third-leading goal scorer on the squad with 22 tallies. Her 54 career goals and 89 career points rank among the Bison all-time leaders. From her utility position, Hartigan also drew 25 ejections and tallied 32 steals. Sophomore Jessica Trimis will also be counted on for more offense. Despite starting just two games as a rookie, Trimis netted 15 goals and accounted for 23 points. Classmate Elizabeth Jensen, the team's second-leading scorer, will try to surpass her freshman totals of 19 goals and 34 assists.
Mallory Sullivan and Taylor Voeltz are two more members of the sophomore class who flourished on the offensive end as freshman and should continue that production this year. The duo combined for 30 goals and 48 points in 35 starts.
The goalkeeper position is a strength of the team, according to Zeigler. Sophomores Mandy Bynum and Katie Colgan will man the position. Bynum immediately claimed the position and started all 34 games her freshman campaign while recording a save percentage of .560, best in school history. The San Jose, Calif., native made 279 saves while allowing just 219 goals.
"I was disappointed Mandy wasn't selected to the all-conference team last year," said Zeigler. "She is very solid in goal, but I think she will be challenged this year. I envision Katie and Mandy having a great competition during practice."
Colgan saw action in only five contests last year. During that time she stopped 10 shots and allowed 14 goals.
Zeigler has a crop of just five freshmen in his latest recruiting class, but he has a veteran newcomer in senior Eileen Ketterer who returns to the lineup after playing just three games last year before suffering an injury. Her first two years, Ketterer was the top sprinter on the team, winning 131 of 168 sprints. She also scored 32 goals and added 41 assists.
Zeigler thinks all five newcomers have the chance to serve important roles. Meagan Gins and and Margot Grant each come to Lewisburg from the West Coast. Gins is a native of Albuquerque, N.M., while Grant is from Tacoma, Wash. Kat Eckert, Laura Stalker and Jennifer Swoyer round out the rookie class. Eckert is from Blue Bell, Pa., while Swoyer hails from Erie, Pa. Stalker is a native of Wallingford, Conn.
With the amount of returning talent and experience, the Bucknell women's water polo team should meet Zeigler's expectations and rise to the top of both the Southern and Eastern Championship standings.
