Women's Water Polo Eager to Grow in 2019

Saturday, February 9

Princeton, NJ

1:00 PM

George Washington University

St. Francis Brooklyn

2/7/2019 12:26:00 PM | Women's Water Polo

Youthful Colonials kick off new season Saturday at Princeton Invitational

A year ago, Alana Ponce appreciated having seven seniors around to help show her the ropes in her introduction to college water polo.

These days, the GW sophomore is one of the leaders pushing a new-look group forward in the countdown to the new season.

"It's a good atmosphere," said Ponce, who earned All-CWPA Second Team honors last season. "People are definitely a little bit sore and tired, but we're all there sore and tired pushing through together. It's exciting to see everybody step up."

With no seniors on the roster, these Colonials figure to be able to grow together over the course of the spring and beyond.

That process figures to kick up a notch Saturday when GW opens the season with a doubleheader at the Princeton Invitational.

"We've been really pleased through last semester and the beginning of the semester the way everybody's approached it," head coach Barry King said. "They see the opportunities to help this team be what they want it to be are out there in front of them, and they're not shying away from them or waiting to be told it's their turn."

2018 REWIND: GW tallied 14 victories in its first season under King with its best winning percentage since 2013. The Colonials also collected their most CWPA wins in 13 years to earn the No. 6 seed for the CWPA Tournament.

Scarlett Hallahan and Jacqueline Bywater were the leaders of the senior class, closing out distinguished careers in Buff and Blue. Hallahan graduated as GW's all-time leader in goals (247) and points (391), while Bywater finished atop the program's steals list (312) and third in points (355).

MEET THE TEAM: Ponce tied the program with eight goals in her second career game and never stopped producing in a terrific rookie campaign. The Gig Harbor, Wash., native paced the Colonials in goals (65) and points (91) and also recorded 42 steals and 32 ejections drawn.

Ponce said she's feeling even more confident in her second season in King's system. She has worked to improve her fitness with an eye on handling increased attention from opposing defenses and more minutes overall.

"It's definitely more comfortable now," Ponce said. "We have a year under our belt with him, and we can say 'This is what he likes' and 'This is what he wants to do.'"

Junior Ally Jochim came on strong late last season to finish with 25 goals and a team-high 37 ejections drawn, while sophomore Jaleh Moaddeli returns after a solid debut season in which she notched 22 goals, 21 assists and 49 steals.

King said he's been particularly impressed with the preseason play of juniors Kira Bruno and Allison DeCicco, who are among the veterans who have a chance to earn expanded roles.

"Last year, roles were pretty well set, and there wasn't a whole lot of challenging that," King said. "Now, it's kind of wide open for people to find their place to contribute and get better and push the program forward."

Defensively, GW has Samantha Runyon back in net. The junior from San Diego, Calif., took over the starting job midway through last season and piled up career-best totals in saves (145) and save percentage (.419).

"She's shown up with a true desire to be better and help her team be as good as possible," King said. "With the addition of Kevin (Le Vine) as a goalkeeping coach, that's been fantastic for her."

GW also adds four first-years to the mix. Hayden Carlson and Megan Tomasi are California natives who bring high-level junior experience, while Illinois native Abbie Lukas has impressed with her athleticism early on.

Juliette Belanger joined the group for the spring semester, fresh off representing her native Canada at the FINA World Youth Championships in Serbia during the fall.

LOOK AHEAD: GW's non-conference schedule also includes a tournament at Marist and a spring break trip to California before CWPA play heats up.

The Colonials are set to host a weekend of action against conference foes with games against Bucknell, Harvard and St. Francis (Pa.) at Smith Center Pool on March 30-31.

All seven CWPA teams advance to the conference championship, which will be held April 26-28 at Brown.

For the Buff and Blue, the journey begins Saturday with matchups against St. Francis Brooklyn and Villanova at Princeton's DeNunzio Pool.

"I'm ready for it," Jochim said. "I think we're going to surprise ourselves and everyone else when we get out there and start battling."