Bucknell University Athletics
Five Bucknell Women's Water Polo Players Earn All-Southern Division Honors; Rozas Named Player of the Year, Abdou Claims Coach of the Year
4/25/2008 8:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
April 25, 2008
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell women's water polo team had five players earn All-Southern Division recognition, headlined by Player of the Year Valentina Rozas (Pico Rivera, Calif./El Rancho), it was announced at the Eastern Championship banquet Friday evening. In addition, Bison interim head coach John Abdou was named the Southern Division Coach of the Year.
Meagan Gins (Albuquerque, N.M./Valley) and Rozas were named to the first team, while Aubrey Rowe (Carlisle, Pa./Cumberland Valley), Kandis Canonica (Burlingame, Calif./St. Ignatius Prep) and Alison Carter (Costa Mesa, Calif./Newport Harbor) landed on the second team. The five players honored equaled Princeton for the most in the four-team CWPA Southern Division. The Tigers had three first-team selections and a pair of second-team choices.
Rozas earned her second consecutive first-team citation, and Bucknell's first-ever Player of the Year certificate, after a season in which she led the team with a career-high 64 goals. The sophomore added 19 assists and entered the Eastern Championship fourth on the squad with 83 points. Rozas was also second on the team with 73 ejections drawn and fourth on the squad with 53 steals. Her 64 goals ranked fourth in program history and she registered one more in Bucknell's first-round loss to Princeton at the Eastern Championship Friday. Rozas is just five goals from equaling Gins' program record.
One of the Bison's most consistent offensive threats, Rozas registered at least one goal in each of the team's first 15 games this year and has 20 multiple-goal games to her credit. Additionally, she has drawn at least one ejection in all 34 games and is third on the single-season list in that category.
Gins landed on the first team for the third consecutive year, while this is her fourth all-conference citation overall after landing on the second team as a freshman. The team senior co-captain was second on the squad with 54 goals entering the Eastern Championship, while her 41 assists and 95 points were also second. With one goal and three assists in Friday's first-round game against Princeton, Gins is one point shy of becoming the second player in program history to net 100 points twice.
The reigning CWPA Southern Division Player of the Week, Gins has piled up a career-high 43 steals this year and is among the team leaders with 57 ejections drawn. On the offensive end, Gins has seven games with at least five points this year and owns the Bucknell career record for goals (235) and points (348).
Rowe is the only Bison repeat all-conference player on the second team, having earned first-team honors and the Rookie of the Year award as a freshman. She entered the Eastern Championship with 52 goals and a career-high 32 assists for a career-high 84 points. She added a team-high three goals against Princeton on Friday. Additionally, Rowe had five steals against the Tigers, vaulting her season steal total to 82, a new program record. A junior, Rowe now ranks sixth on the Bucknell career goals list (142), seventh on the career assists list (81) and seventh on the career points list (223).
Canonica's selection to the second team marks the fourth straight year a Bison rookie has been named all-conference. Gins, Rowe and Rozas had earned All-South honors as freshmen the past three years.
Canonica has made an immediate impact as a rookie, tying Adrienne Schober's program single-season record for assists (58) and breaking Gins' points record (106). She has had at least one point in 33 of Bucknell's 34 games and has 15 multiple-assist contests to her credit. The left-hander also paces the squad in sprints won (16) and has 31 steals.
Carter is Bucknell's first goalie to be named all-conference since Mandy Bynum earned second-team honors in 2005. Carter won the starting goalkeeper job early in the season and has been part of the starting unit 28 times. She has made 234 saves and has a solid save percentage of .555. Her save total ranks sixth on the Bison single-season list and is just four shy of placing her fourth with the best figure since 2004.
Bucknell interim head coach John Abdou was named the CWPA Southern Division Coach of the Year.  |
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Under Abdou, the Bison have set team records for wins (25), goals (367), assists (248), points (615), steals (489), ejections drawn (340), shots (873) and saves (326).
While Bucknell has easily eclipsed the previous best win total of 23, it could have plenty more. Each of its last five losses have come by just one goal, with two of those overtime contests.
Abdou's 25 wins this season place him second on Bucknell's all-time wins list, more than double third-place Lynn Kachmarik, who had 11 wins in her only season at the helm of the Bison in 1999.
Bucknell, which lost a heartbreaking 7-6 decision to No. 20 Princeton in the first round of the Eastern Championship on Friday, will face Mercyhurst Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The Bison can still finish as high as fifth in the eight-team Eastern Championship field. Bucknell's best-ever finish at the event came in 2006 when it placed fourth.
CWPA Southern Division First Team
Phoebe Champion, Princeton
Lauren Brunner, Princeton
Valentina Rozas, Bucknell
Meagan Gins, Bucknell
Elizabeth Hopkins, Maryland
Blaise Stanicic, Maryland
Natalie Kim, Princeton (Goalie)
CWPA Southern Division Second Team
Marissa Stamler, George Washington
Rachel Jordan, Maryland
Aubrey Rowe, Bucknell
Kandis Canonica, Bucknell
Claire Jacobson, Princeton
Tanya Wilcox, Princeton
Alison Carter, Bucknell (Goalie)
Coach of the Year: John Abdou, Bucknell
Player of the Year: Valentina Rozas, Bucknell
Rookie of the Year: Lauren Brunner, Princeton
