Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Water Polo Welcomes Seven Newcomers for 2008
6/12/2007 8:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
June 12, 2007
LEWISBURG, Pa. - After seeing a strong six-person senior class graduate last month, Bucknell women's water polo head coach John Zeigler has announced his recruiting class, which features seven student-athletes that will join the Bison program for the 2008 season. The Class of 2011 has four members from the talent-rich state of California, but also possesses an East Coast flair with New York and Connecticut represented in addition to Illinois.
The Bison are coming off a season in which they went 15-17 against a potent schedule that featured a program-record 11 ranked foes. Bucknell also advanced to the Eastern Championship for the sixth consecutive season behind a roster that had six seniors and three juniors. Eight letterwinners are expected to return in 2008.
Following is an alphabetical list of the seven Bucknell women's water polo recruits that comprise the Class of 2011:
Whitney Allen - Hillsborough, Calif./Menlo
Blake Bartter - Winnetka, Ill./New Trier
Kandis Canonica - Burlingame, Calif./St. Ignatius Prep
Flavia McBride - Irvine, Calif./University
Meghan McNally - Floral Park, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy
Haley Prickett - Newport Beach, Calif./Corona del Mar
Kristin Vallis - Ridgefield, Conn./Phillips Exeter Academy
Class of 2011 Bios:
Whitney Allen (Hillsborough, Calif./Menlo) - Four-year water polo letterwinner ... two-time National Junior Olympic All-American ... led team to Central Coast Section and Peninsula Athletic League titles four times each ... team captain ... four-time All-Peninsula Athletic League Team member ... All-Central Coast Section selection three times ... Academic All-California Interscholastic Federation selection ... member of Stanford Water Polo Club Senior Team along with fellow Bison recruit Kandis Canonica ... four-year member of Menlo swimming team ... member of All-America 200 medley relay team ... three-time all-league choice ... helped team to Peninsula Athletic League title three times ... sister, Emily, played water polo at Washington & Jefferson.
Zeigler on Allen: "Along with Kandis, the experience and disciplined coaching Whitney received in the Stanford club system makes her an asset to our program immediately. An intelligent player, she brings a feisty style of water polo and great instincts for the game. We will look for her to primarily serve as a driver."
Blake Bartter (Winnetka, Ill./New Trier) - Three-sport athlete at New Trier High School ... four-year letterwinner in water polo ... also earned three varsity letters in crew and a JV letter in tennis ... two-time all-sectional and all-league choice ... named to all-state team in 2006 ... member of Student Athletic Leadership Team (S.A.L.T.) ... all-time leading scorer in New Trier High School history ... second in program's history in assists and first in steals ... three-year Board of Recognition recipient as a member of crew team ... stroke of Varsity A boat ... has a twin sister, Bryndl ... cousin, Jessica Bartter, played volleyball at UC San Diego.
Zeigler on Bartter: "Drivers with speed, size and aggressiveness are not easy to find and Blake brings all three to our team. She was asked to do everything for her high school program, a job she humbly accepted. We will concentrate on her driver skills for offense and center-defender duties on the defensive end."
Kandis Canonica (Burlingame, Calif./St. Ignatius Prep) - Four-year letterwinner in water polo ... team captain as a senior ... St. Ignatius Prep career leader with 208 goals ... led team in goals (58), assists (36) and steals (35) as a senior ... four-time all-league selection, including a pair of first-team citations ... led team to pair of third-place finishes in the West Catholic Athletic League and a pair of top-five showings in the Central Coast Section ... Central Coast Section All-Star Team member in 2006 ... won the Wild Cat Award, St. Ignatius' highest athletic award, in 2005 and 2006 ... four-year member of swimming and diving team ... 2007 team captain ... led team to WCAL team title and a fourth-place finish in CCS ... member of Stanford Water Polo Club Senior Team along with fellow Bison recruit Whitney Allen ... attended same high school as Elizabeth Jensen, a member of Bucknell's Class of 2007.
Zeigler on Canonica: "Kandis fills an immediate need as a left-handed replacement for Elizabeth Jensen, who recently graduated. More than just a lefty, Kandis is a versatile and experienced athlete who brings a strong shot and great scoring instincts to our offense. With the work she spent this past year on her speed, I expect her role to be significant for us right away in all aspects of the game."
Flavia McBride (Irvine, Calif./University) - Four-year letterwinner in water polo and swimming ... three-year water polo team captain ... First Team All-Pacific Coast League as a junior and senior ... Second Team All-Pacific Coast League as a sophomore ... two-time All-California Interscholastic Federation selection ... two-time team MVP ... school's all-time leader in goals, assists and steals ... helped lead swimming team to CIF Division 2 title as a junior.
Zeigler on McBride: "Flavia's strength is her inside game and she rewrote the record books at her high school for career goals, assists and steals at her high school. Her role as either a two-meter or utility player will develop based on positional need, but we would like to see the ball in her hand in front of the cage as often as possible."
Meghan McNally (Floral Park, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) - Four-sport star during high school days ... earned two letters in swimming, volleyball and track ... also a six-year member of the Long Island Water Polo club team ... Junior Olympic participant 2003-06 ... helped swimming team to league title in 2003 ... volleyball team won league title and advanced to state semifinals in 2006 ... won volleyball Team Spirit Award in 2006 ... earned Richard Halstead Award as a member of the St. Aidan swim team ... all three siblings were athletes at the college level ... brother, Christopher, was a member of the swimming team at Loyola (Md.) ... sister, Maureen, swam at Providence ... brother, Timothy, was a member of the crew team at California.
Zeigler on McNally: "We are fortunate in this class to have athletes with base speed and Meghan brings that as well as aggressiveness to her game. We will look to her to help us with counterattack as a driver and her role should develop quickly."
Haley Prickett (Newport Beach, Calif./Corona del Mar) - Member of water polo and swimming teams at Corona del Mar High School ... water polo team captain ... also copped team awards for most inspirational, the coaches award and the varsity team award ... helped team to back-to-back California Interscholastic Federation titles in 2005 and 2006 ... named second-team all-league and Third Team All-CIF in 2006.
Zeigler on Prickett: "It is always exciting for the coaching staff to recruit a talented athlete who seems to be coming into her own. That is the case with Haley, who was voted Most Improved on her Corona del Mar squad. She really started to spark this past year in her utility role. With her potential, we don't think it will be long before Haley is heavily impacting the Bison."
Kristin Vallis (Ridgefield, Conn./Phillips Exeter Academy) - Water polo team captain as a senior ... Third Team All-America selection, the best in school history ... led squad with 62 goals ... MVP of 2006 New England Championship ... played for Navy club program and Northeast Zone team.
Zeigler on Vallis: "It is rare to find water polo players who can play inside and outside, but Kristin brings that kind of balance to our squad. She can play the center position, but is equally comfortable driving and shooting from the outside, which should help her establish a spot in the rotation in short order."
