Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Water Polo Welcomes Seven Newcomers for 2006
5/19/2005 8:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
May 19, 2005
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell head women's water polo coach John Zeigler announced Thursday the addition of seven student-athletes who will compete for the Bison next spring. The members of the Class of 2009 will look to help Bucknell continue its winning ways. The Bison improved from 14 wins in 2003 and 16 in 2004, to a school-record 23 last year.
Amanda Barto (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor), Kelsey Herrmann (San Mateo, Calif./San Mateo), Kim Johnson (Piedmont, Calif./Piedmont), Jennifer Kerwin (Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich), Tiffany Kim (Montrose, Calif./Flintridge Prep), Rachel McGillis (Los Altos, Calif./Los Altos) and Aubrey Rowe (Carlisle, Pa./Cumberland Valley) comprise the class, which features five players from California and one each from Connecticut and Pennsylvania.
Barto earned one varsity letter in both water polo and swimming at Newport Harbor High School. The winner of the water polo team's Most Improved Player Award as a senior, she was the most valuable player of the junior varsity squad as a junior. Barto also took home most valuable player citations as a freshman and a sophomore. One of five siblings, she was the MVP of the swim team as a freshman.
"Amanda is an aggressive left-handed driver who was coached by Bill Barnett, the newly named United States women's national team coach, in high school," commented Zeigler. "I expect her adjustment to our systems to be short and for her to help fuel our offense from the right side as both a shooter and setup player."
Herrmann was a three-sport star at San Mateo High School where she earned three letters in water polo and basketball, and two more in swimming. The captain of her water polo team as a senior, Herrmann was named the best defensive player in 2004. The two previous seasons she was honored as most valuable player, and was an all-league selection as a sophomore. Herrmann, who was born in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., was also the captain of the basketball team in 2001-02. An All-California Interscholastic Federation Academic Selection in 2004, Herrmann was named the Academic Athlete of the Year last fall.
"Kelsey comes to Bucknell with impressive academic and athletic credentials, and brings much experience with team sports, including basketball along with water polo," said Zeigler. "A student of the game, Kelsey, who is planning on majoring in engineering, will use her athleticism and work ethic to break into a very competitive goalie roster."
Johnson, who was a three-time all-league selection in both water polo and swimming, earned three varsity letters in each sport during her high school career. After earning honorable mention all-league plaudits in water polo as a sophomore, she made the second team as a junior and the first team as a senior. A two-time NCS scholar-athlete, Johnson was water polo team captain her senior year. Like Herrmann, Johnson was born in New York, but attended high school in California.
"Kimberly has been the go-to scorer at her high school since her sophomore year," stated Zeigler. "She is a pure scorer, but can set up her teammates as well. Her center-forward experience as well as five years competing in a utility role with the Oakland Water Polo Club should help her work into our rotation quickly."
Kerwin was a co-captain of her high school water polo team in Greenwich, Conn., as a senior. A participant in the 2003 Water Polo Summer Junior Olympics, she earned three letters in water polo and two in swimming during her high school tenure.
"Although her high school program in Greenwich is relatively new, Jennifer is not short on water polo experience since she has been playing at the club and zone level for a long time," said Zeigler. "She has good speed and ball skills and is used to physical play. She will work as a driver and possible center-defender in our rotation."
Tiffany Kim was a four-year member of both the water polo and swimming teams during high school. She was team captain and an all-league water polo selection as both a junior and senior. The Montrose, Calif., native served as the swim team captain her final two years as well. Kim also played tennis for three seasons and was a member of the diving team.
"Tiffany carried both scoring and defensive duties from her center-forward and center-back positions on a young high school team last year," said Zeigler. "She has been gaining valuable experience at the club level the last two years and hopes to replace some of the center-forward scoring we graduate this year."
McGillis was captain and most valuable player of her high school squad as a senior, one year after earning Defensive Player of the Year honors. A two-time second-team all-league selection, she also played softball as a junior and was named all-league in that sport as well. McGillis' father played collegiate football at both California and San Diego State.
"As a goalie in the Stanford club system, Rachel has shown she can play high-level water polo and will bring many years of club experience to our program," said Zeigler. "She is a technically sound goalie and has the requisite competitiveness to challenge for playing time early in her college career."
Rowe, who earned four varsity letters in both water polo and swimming at Cumberland Valley High School, is the lone native of Pennsylvania in the class. After enjoying an outstanding senior campaign that featured a first-team all-state selection, the Carlisle, Pa., native earned an invitation to the United States Water Polo Northeast Zone Junior Selection Camp in Salt Lake City, Utah, later this month. She attended the National Youth Selection Camp each of the last three years. The 2004 Pennsylvania "Miss Water Polo" as the player of the year in the state, Rowe led her team to a third-place finish in the state as a senior. She also earned first-team all-state plaudits as a junior when her team won the state championship for the second consecutive season. Rowe also copped third-team all-state honors as a sophomore, and was selected to the all-freshman team in 2001. Rowe's father, Dave, played college football at Delaware, while her grandfather, Bill, was a three-year letterwinner as a member of Army's football team.
"Aubrey is one of the better players from Pennsylvania in recent years," commented Zeigler. "She has proven herself to be an incredibly athletic driver with strong legs, speed and ball skills. She has been a regular at national tournaments with both the Northeast Zone and Navy Club programs. Her strong fundamentals and experience will fit in well with our schemes."
Coming off a season in which it posted a school-record 23 wins against only 11 losses, Bucknell will be replacing five graduating seniors next year. Those five seniors accounted for 121 goals and 82 assists which was nearly 45 percent of the team's offense. With a seventh-place finish at the season-ending Eastern Championships, the Bison equaled their best-ever showing.
