May 11, 2005
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell women's water polo team announced several award winners for the 2005 campaign at its season-ending banquet last week. Eight members of the team were honored by head coach John Zeigler, and Amanda Nogic and Mallory Sullivan were named co-captains for the 2006 season.
Senior Meg Blitzer received the Allyson Gillespie Award which recognizes "demonstrated leadership, loyalty, and total dedication to Bucknell women's water polo." The award was established in honor of the former player, captain and coach of the club team, who is a 1996 graduate of Bucknell. Blitzer, who last week was named to the Collegiate Water Polo Association All-Conference First Team for the second consecutive year, led Bucknell in goals (66), assists (26) and points (92) this season. Anointed the top female athlete in the senior class with the Christy Mathewson Award at Bucknell's annual Senior Awards Banquet last week, Blitzer owns the Bison career record for goals (198), points (282) and steals (199). She ranks third on the all-time assists list with 84.
The Durham, N.H., native also holds the Bucknell record for most goals in a season and goals in a game. She tallied 66 goals each of the last two years, eclipsing the former mark of 61 by five. As a junior, Blitzer scored seven goals during an 11-6 victory over Villanova to set a single-game record. She scored six goals on two occasions this year giving her three of the top-10 scoring marks in Bison history.
The only two-time co-captain in the history of the program, Blitzer fell one point shy of equaling Adrienne Schober's single-season standard of 93 this year. Blitzer registered 90 points as a junior, giving her 182 over her final two seasons.
Last year Blitzer won the Vicki Gorman Award, which Zeigler presented to
Mandy Bynum and
Cody Keffer this year. The Gorman Award recognizes "contribution to Bucknell women's water polo at a consistent demonstrated level in excess of what is expected." The award was named after Gorman, a 1993 Bucknell graduate and former club player who was the first Bison to represent Bucknell as a member of the U.S. National Team. Bynum, who earned the Gillespie Award as a freshman in 2004, was a second-team all-conference choice last week. The sophomore goalie had her second consecutive outstanding season as she broke her own Bucknell record by recording a save percentage of .611. That mark eclipsed her own record of .560 she set as a freshman. Bynum stopped 237 shots, the fourth-best single-season total in Bison history, and allowed just 151 goals this year. The San Jose, Calif., native ranks second on the career list with 516 saves, just 376 behind first-place
Lindsay Chesterfield, and has a career save percentage of .582. Bynum started 27 games and played in 28. Keffer, a senior who is third on the career scoring list with 248 points, made her first appearance on the all-conference team last week with a second-team citation. The co-captain was third on this year's team with 31 goals and 53 points. She ranked second on the squad with 22 assists. The Berkeley, Calif., native finished her career with 156 goals and 92 assists. She ranks third on Bucknell's career goals list and second on the all-time assist list. Keffer also registered 31 steals this year to stand second on the team behind Blitzer.
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." This year the award was given to senior
Katie Hartigan. Hartigan, who was one of four seniors honored at the banquet, also made a second-team appearance on the all-conference squad this year, her second consecutive selection. She tallied 17 goals and 19 assists for a career-high tying 36 points, which stood fourth on the team this year. Her assist figure ranked third on the squad and was a career high as well. The Coronado, Calif., native wrapped up her career ranked ninth on Bucknell's career goals list with 71, seventh in assists with 54, and ninth in points with 125.
Nogic, a current junior who will share captain duties with Sullivan next spring, was the recipient of the Most Improved Award. After drawing just one start in the first seven games of the year, Nogic proceeded to start 13 of the final 27 as she played in 33 games overall. The Kingston, Pa., native tallied career highs with nine goals, eight assists and 17 points. She ranked fourth on the team with a career-high 27 steals and was seventh on the squad with 30 shots.
The Lynn Kachmarik Award, formerly the Coach's Award, was shared by Eileen Ketterer and Sadie Abuhoff. The award is presented for "unwavering commitment and a selfless generosity to her teammates," and is named after former women's water polo coach and CWPA and National Water Polo Hall of Famer Lynn Kachmarik. Kachmarik was the head coach for the Bucknell women's water polo team in its first season as a varsity sport. After scoring 32 goals and tallying 41 assists her first two seasons, Ketterer missed all but three games of her junior campaign with an injury. She came back as a senior this year and played 28 games and drew four starts. The Altamonte Springs, Fla., native finished the season with four goals and seven assists, while registering six steals. Abuhoff, a sophomore, saw action in just seven games, but made the most of her time in the pool by scoring two goals and dishing out four assists. The Cranbury, N.J., native also tallied two steals and fired nine shots.
The 2005 Rookie of the Year Award went to
Meagan Gins. The Albuquerque, N.M., native was second on the team in goals and points with 48 and 61, respectively, this year. She fell just seven goals shy of equaling Keffer's freshman goal-scoring record of 55, set in 2002. Gins made an immediate impact, and quickly impressed the home crowd, when in the fifth game of the season, and the first home contest, she scored six goals to equal the second-best in the history of the program. She fired 130 shots on goal, and was strong on the defensive end with 27 steals. She also led the team with 53 ejections drawn, 21 more than her next highest teammate.
Sullivan, just a sophomore this year, will team with Nogic to handle captain duties next year. A starter in 19 games, the Tulare, Calif., native netted eight goals and was tied for sixth on the team with 12 assists. Her career high point total of 20 was seventh on the squad. She will be the first junior captain since Blitzer served in that role in 2004.
Bucknell finished its 2005 season with a 23-11 record, setting a program record for victories in a season. The previous high was an 18-win campaign in 2001. The Bison finished seventh, equaling their best-ever showing, at the Eastern Championships.
