The 13th-ranked Hartwick College women's water polo team will open the 2006 season at the Cal Baptist Lancer Invite against #15 UC-Irvine on Saturday at 12:15 ET.
The Hawks enter their sixth season of competition under third-year head coach Alan Huckins, who guided the team to their fifth straight CWPA Northern Division Championship a year ago and finished the season with a 7-0 record in divisional play. Hartwick finished the 2005 campaign with a 28-9 record and was ranked 15th in the final national poll. With the loss of two-time All-American Kate Chambers and co-captain Maureen Wertz, the Hawks return seven players that played in 30 games or more last season.
"I think we will be as strong if not stronger than we were last season," said Huckins. "Our defense is definitely stronger but our offensive output is the main question for us."
Sophomore Bronwen Knox is the top returning scorer on the roster of 15 players. Knox received honorable-mention All-American honors after leading Hartwick in scoring (133 points), goals (102), steals (92) and drawn 4-meter penalties (10) a year ago.
"What's amazing about Bronwen is that she is our best defender, yet she led us in scoring," said Huckins. "It would have been amazing to see what she could have done playing an offensive position. But, she is our best two-meter defender and we will continue to use her there."
Knox should help offset the loss of four-year starter Kate Chambers, who graduated as the program's all-time leading scorer with 399 points on 197 goals and 202 assists.
Junior Keri James (33 goals, 34 assists) and sophomore Kimberley Sumich (35 goals, 20 assists) are talented two-way players who will provide the team with experience on both ends of the pool. Junior Aliria Munoz (29 goals, 11 assists) gives the team added depth and experience at the center position.
"Kim (Sumich) has been getting a lot more comfortable and her experience on the New Zealand National Team will help us tremendously," said Huckins. "She has the ability to score a lot for us this year, which is much needed given the loss of two of our top three scorers from a year ago.”
Junior goalie Olivia Colebourne was one of the top newcomers on the squad a year ago. An all-conference first-team selection last season, she returns to the cage after finishing with 260 saves, 74 steals and 37 assists in her first year on the team.
"Ollie (Colebourne) gained a lot of experience throughout the past year and has adjusted to our system very well," said Huckins. "She played well for New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games and will definitely lead our defense this season."
Sophomore Megan Dahl-Smith and junior Vonya Thomas are also returning starters and should be major contributors this season at the center position. Dahl-Smith had 30 goals and six assists, while Thomas recorded 23 goals and nine assists in 2005.
Freshmen Erica Leima, Ari Romo and Teresa Fleming are some of the top newcomers on the squad. Leima was a three-time all-league performer at Amador Valley in Pleasanton, Calif. Romo will add depth at the driver position and was a member of two youth national teams, while Fleming was a league MVP at Temescal Canyon in Corona, Calif. Transfer Ellen Sevigny scored one goal for a USC team that finished third last season at the 2006 NCAA Championships.
"Our first-year players are all hard workers," said Huckins. "We are trying to get them to play as veterans, and I believe that they are really going to help us out a lot. They have all caught on very fast this preseason."
Hartwick competes in the CWPA Northern Division along with Brown, Connecticut, Harvard, Queens and Utica. UC-Davis will host the 2006 NCAA Championship Tournament on May 12-14.
"Our goals are still the same," said Huckins. "We want to win Northerns, win Easterns and go to the NCAA's."
