Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Water Polo Announces Team Awards, Gins Named 2008 Captain
5/8/2007 8:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
May 8, 2007
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell head women's water polo coach John Zeigler recently announced the winners of the six team awards that are given out annually and named Meagan Gins (Albuquerque, N.M./Valley) as the sole team captain for the 2008 campaign. Gins also earned the Allyson Gillespie Award as at least one member of each class was honored with an award.
Aubrey Rowe (Carlisle, Pa./Cumberland Valley), Mandy Bynum (San Jose, Calif./Leland), Jennifer Swoyer (Erie, Pa./McDowell), Sadie Abuhoff (Cranbury, N.J./The Lawrenceville School) and Valentina Rozas (Pico Rivera, Calif./El Rancho) were the other Bison honored with awards.
Gins, who was named first-team all-conference last week, earned the Allyson Gillespie Award, which recognizes "demonstrated leadership, loyalty and total dedication to Bucknell women's water polo". A junior, Gins led the team in scoring for the second consecutive year, posting 62 goals and 23 assists for 85 points. An honorable mention All-America selection a year ago when she earned the team's Vicki Gorman Award, Gins is among the Bison single-season and career leaders in nearly every offensive category. Her 62 goals rank fourth on the Bison single-season list, while her 85 points list her tied for sixth. She already owns the record in both those categories.
On the career level, Gins ranks second in goals (180), fourth in points (249) and is tied for sixth in assists (125).
One of just two Bison to start all 32 games this past season, Gins' most remarkable statistic may have been her career-high 96 ejections drawn. She had at least three ejections drawn in 16 games, and posted a career-high seven on two occasions, both against rival Princeton.
In addition to copping the Allyson Gillespie Award, Gins became the 18th player in program history named captain. Next year will mark the first time since 1999, the first year of the program, that there has been just one captain. In 1999 Dana Cull was the sole captain.
The Vicki Gorman Award, which recognizes "contribution to Bucknell women's water polo at a consistent demonstrated level in excess of what is expected", went to Rowe, the 2006 team Rookie of the Year. 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.
Rowe, a sophomore who battled a nagging arm injury most of the season, tallied 29 goals and led the squad with a career-high 28 assists. Her 57 points ranked fourth on the team and vaulted her career total to 136, which is on the verge of breaking into the program's top-10 list.
After missing five of the first eight games of the season, and not drawing her first start until the ninth game of the campaign, Rowe showed her explosive offensive ability by tallying at least one point in 22 of the final 23 contests. Her season-high point total of six came when she scored three goals and three assists during a 10-6 victory over Redlands.
Not just an offensive player, Rowe paced the team with a career-high 51 steals, 12 better than second-place Elizabeth Jensen (San Mateo, Calif./St. Ignatius Prep).
Bynum, a senior goalkeeper who was a four-year starter and a former winner of both the Vicki Gorman Award and the Lynn Kachmarik Award, earned the Class of '99 Award, which 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 past year Bynum zoomed past Lindsay Chesterfield's program record for saves in a career and finished with 963 as she tallied at least 200 every year, including 221 as a senior. She finished her career with a .545 save percentage as she allowed only 804 scores against her.
A starter in 28 games this spring, and 119 in her career, Bynum also contributed 30 steals this year and 97 in her career. She also helped on the offensive end with 14 assists this season to bring her career total to 57.
For the second consecutive year Swoyer, a junior, improved dramatically, and this time she earned the Most Improved Award. A starter in 13 games, including the final three of the year, she recorded career highs in goals (19), assists (18), points (37) and steals (29). Additionally, she added 29 ejections drawn, just three shy of her sophomore-year total. Swoyer also won five of 12 sprints, the second-best percentage on the team.
For the second time in three years Abuhoff claimed the Lynn Kachmarik Award, which is presented for "unwavering commitment and a selfless generosity to 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.
Abuhoff was a valuable reserve for the Bison, appearing in 25 games and starting one. She tallied two goals and tallied four steals. The 25 games played were a career high, while Abuhoff wrapped up her career with 10 goals and four assists.
Rozas joined teammates Mallory Sullivan (Tulare, Calif./Tulare Western), Gins and Rowe as winners of the team's Rookie of the Year honor. A first-team all-conference selection along with Gins, Rozas had a remarkable freshman campaign by tallying 49 goals and 21 assists. She ranked third on the team in goals and points, while her assist total was fourth. She also contributed 36 steals and ranked second to Gins with 63 ejections drawn.
A prolific scorer, Rozas had 13 multiple-goal games this past year, and entered the Eastern Championship having tallied at least one point in all but one games this season. She registered a career-high four goals in back-to-back games with Maryland and California Baptist in March.
Bucknell had another solid year as it recently wrapped up the 2007 campaign with a 15-17 record against a potent schedule that featured a program-record 11 ranked foes. The Bison also advanced to the Eastern Championship for the sixth consecutive season.
2007 Bucknell Women's Water Polo Team Awards
Allyson Gillespie Award - Meagan Gins
Vicki Gorman Award - Aubrey Rowe
Class of '99 Award - Mandy Bynum
Most Improved - Jennifer Swoyer
Lynn Kachmarik Award - Sadie Abuhoff
Rookie of the Year - Valentina Rozas
2008 Captain - Meagan Gins
