Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Water Polo Earns Team and Individual Academic Awards
6/20/2005 8:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
June 20, 2005
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Nine Bucknell women's water polo players were named to the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) All-Academic Team for achieving cumulative grade-point averages of at least 3.20. Seven of those student-athletes also landed positions on the American Water Polo Coaches Association (AWPCA) Varsity All-Academic Team. Additionally, the Bison were honored by both organizations for their 3.13 team grade-point average.
Kat Eckert, Laura Stalker, Cody Keffer, Amanda Nogic, Jessica Trimis, Meagan Gins and Mallory Sullivan were honored by both organizations, while Sadie Abuhoff and Eileen Ketterer copped accolades from only the CWPA.
With a 3.83 GPA, Eckert was the lone Bison to earn "Outstanding Achievement", which is awarded to student-athletes with GPAs from 3.71-4.0. Eckert, a freshman, drew just four starts last year, but did appear in 25 of Bucknell's 34 games. She tallied eight goals and eight assists. The Blue Bell, Pa., native also recorded 12 steals.
Stalker, another freshman, was one of six Bison to earn "Superior Achievement" for a GPA from 3.41-3.70. The Wallingford, Conn., native played in 22 games last year and scored nine goals. She also dished out five assists while placing second among freshmen on the team with 13 steals.
Keffer, a senior who is third on the career scoring list with 248 points, made her first appearance on the all-conference team last season with a second-team citation. The co-captain was third on the 2005 squad with 31 goals and 53 points. She ranked second on the team 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 to stand second on the team behind Meg Blitzer. She also shared the Vicki Gorman Award with Mandy Bynum at the team's postseason awards banquet.
Nogic, who will share captain duties with Sullivan next spring, also earned "Superior Achievement" plaudits. 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. She was named the most improved player on the team by head coach John Zeigler following the season.
Abuhoff saw action in just seven games as a sophomore in 2005. She did earn one start and scored two goals. The Cranbury, N.J., native also dished out four assists and shared the Lynn Kachmarik Coach's Award with Ketterer at the end-of-season team awards banquet.
Trimis was the only Bison to appear in all 34 games this past year. She was sixth on the team in scoring with 28 points, courtesy of a career-high 21 goals and seven assists. She also tallied 24 steals, which was a career high for the sophomore. The La Crescenta, Calif., native has 36 career goals, which ranks her second among returning players next season.
The final Bison to earn "Superior Achievement" was Ketterer. A senior who missed most of her junior year due to injury, Ketterer came back to play in 28 games in her final season in Orange and Blue. She scored four goals and seven assists to boost her career totals to 36 and 48, respectively. The Altamonte, Fla., native also registered six steals.
Two Bucknell players, Gins and Sullivan, earned "Excellent Achievement" for GPAs between 3.21-3.40. The team's 2005 Rookie of the Year Award winner, Gins was second on the team in goals and points with 48 and 61, respectively. She fell just seven goals shy of equaling Keffer's freshman goal-scoring record of 55, set in 2002. The Albuquerque, N.M., native 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.
Just a sophomore this past season, Sullivan will team with Nogic to handle captain duties next spring. 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.
The CWPA All-Academic Team honored all student-athletes on both club and varsity women's water polo teams who achieved a GPA of at least 3.20. The AWPCA handed out awards to players on varsity teams only who were significant contributors while achieving a GPA of at least 3.20.
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.
