TEMPE, Ariz. – The Sun Devil water polo team is set to open the 2019 season at home with the ASU Invitational #1, their first of three home tournaments this season. The Sun Devils will play host to Marist, New York Athletic Club (NYAC), and the Chinese National Team Jan. 12-13, with four matches each day (full schedule below).
ASU's two Sunday matches will be live streamed (links here: https://thesundevils.com/schedule.aspx?path=wwpolo) with live scoring available for each match.
Saturday, Jan. 12 – Sun Devil Fitness Complex (SDFC)
9:30 am – ASU vs. Marist
11 am – Chinese National Team vs. NYAC
12:30 pm – ASU vs. Marist (exhibition)
3 pm – Chinese National Team vs. NYAC
Sunday, Jan. 13 – Mona Plummer Aquatic Center (MPAC)
8 am – Marist vs. Chinese National Team
9:15 am – ASU vs. NYAC
11 am – Marist vs. Chinese National Team
2 pm – ASU vs. Chinese National Team
Saturday's action will be held at Sun Devil Fitness Complex (SDFC) while Sunday will be back home at Mona Plummer Aquatic Center (MPAC). All home matches throughout the season are free to the public.
2018 in Review
Last season, the Sun Devils went 16-9, the seventh consecutive season they've reached 16 victories (14 of 16 came over teams ranked in the CWPA Top-25 at the time). ASU spent most of last season at No. 6, never falling outside the top six and finishing at No. 5 in the nation, tying the second-highest finish in the poll in program history.
ASU defeated four teams that competed at the 2018 NCAA Championship including No. 7 UC Irvine, No. 8 Michigan, UC San Diego, and Pomona Pitzer.
By the team, P.J. Allin was named Most Improved Lifter, Alkistis Benekou was named Lifter of the Year, Rosie Huck was named Student of the Year, Julia Reyes was named Most Improved Player, and Mia Rycraw was named MVP.
ASU matched a program-best with four ACWPC All-American honorees as Mia Rycraw and Bente Rogge represented the Sun Devils on the Second Team. Alkistis Benekou earned Third Team All-American honors while Maud Koopman was named Honorable Mention.
Four Sun Devils were also named to the MPSF All-Conference teams including Benekou, Rycraw, and Bente Rogge, named to the Second Team, and Amira Van Buren, named to the All-Newcomer team.
The Sun Devils lost goalkeeper Mia Rycraw to graduation, who became just the third Sun Devil and 15th MPSF goalkeeper to join the 800-save club. Also graduating for ASU was Alkistis Benekou, who put together four consecutive 30-goal seasons, and recorded the third-most career goals in school history (181), and Lena Mihailovic, who finished ninth on ASU's all-time career goals scored list (131).
Looking Ahead to 2019
Head coach Todd Clapper enters his 14th season at the helm of the Sun Devils, adding Sun Devil All-American and 2015 ASU graduate Petra Pardi as a full-time assistant coach this season.
Key returners for ASU include Maud Koopman, who scored 42 goals in 2018, her second consecutive 40-goal campaign. Entering this season, Koopman is just six goals away from cracking the top-10 in school history. ASU has another key returner in Bente Rogge, one of the top defenders in the nation.
The Sun Devils also add key freshmen in attacker Blaire McDowell, named MVP at both the 2018 FINA Women's World League Super Final and the 2018 UANA Junior Pan American Championships, and utility Viktoria Orlova, who was the youngest member of Canada's U18 National Team that participated in the FINA World Women's Youth Water Polo Championships held in Auckland, New Zealand. ASU also added attackers Lieke Rogge, sister of Bente Rogge, and Kekesi Borbala, as well as goalie Bridget Johnston at the start of the spring semester.
Scouting the Opponents
Marist, members of the MAAC (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., finished last season with a 20-17 record, falling to Wagner in the MAAC Championship game. Marist lost MAAC Defensive Player of the Year and All-Conference First Teamer Diana Carballo to graduation but return Second Teamers Katherine Tijerina and Justine Castro.
NYAC was founded in the early 1900's and has played a critical role in the development of water polo from youth to Olympians. With multiple national championships on both the men's and women's sides over the past 25 years, NYAC produces more national and Olympic team players than any water polo team in the country.
The Chinese women's national water polo team represents China in international water polo and is one of the leading teams in Asia. The team, most recently, won gold in the 2018 Asian Games and 2016 Asian Championship. Internationally, they finished sixth at World League in 2018 and seventh at the 2016 Olympic Games, providing a great early challenge and opportunity to train for the Sun Devils.
International Competition
Several Sun Devils had opportunities to compete internationally this summer including Bente Rogge winning gold with Team Netherlands at the European Water Polo Championships and Blaire McDowell being named MVP of the UANA Junior Pan American Championships after helping lead the Canadian Junior Team to the gold.
Rogge also represented the Netherlands at the 2018 FINA Women's Water Polo World League Super Final in late May/early June, helping the country earn its first-ever silver medal, while McDowell was a member of the Saskatchewan team that participated in the 2018 Canadian U19 National Championship in May as she was recognized the U19 National Championship MVP.
#SunDevil4Life
Sun Devil All-American Petra Pardi, who graduated in 2015 and earned her Master's Degree in Higher Education/Higher Education Administration in 2018, served as a graduate assistant coach and manager while earning her Master's and as a volunteer assistant coach this past summer.
She earned All-America honors as a junior and served as team captain her senior season, competing for the Sun Devils from 2011-15. Following graduation, she worked with Mesa Water Polo, then the only age-group water polo organization in the area. At MWP, she served as head coach of the U14 program and assistant coach for the U16 and U18 programs.
ASU's two Sunday matches will be live streamed (links here: https://thesundevils.com/schedule.aspx?path=wwpolo) with live scoring available for each match.
Saturday, Jan. 12 – Sun Devil Fitness Complex (SDFC)
9:30 am – ASU vs. Marist
11 am – Chinese National Team vs. NYAC
12:30 pm – ASU vs. Marist (exhibition)
3 pm – Chinese National Team vs. NYAC
Sunday, Jan. 13 – Mona Plummer Aquatic Center (MPAC)
8 am – Marist vs. Chinese National Team
9:15 am – ASU vs. NYAC
11 am – Marist vs. Chinese National Team
2 pm – ASU vs. Chinese National Team
Saturday's action will be held at Sun Devil Fitness Complex (SDFC) while Sunday will be back home at Mona Plummer Aquatic Center (MPAC). All home matches throughout the season are free to the public.
2018 in Review
Last season, the Sun Devils went 16-9, the seventh consecutive season they've reached 16 victories (14 of 16 came over teams ranked in the CWPA Top-25 at the time). ASU spent most of last season at No. 6, never falling outside the top six and finishing at No. 5 in the nation, tying the second-highest finish in the poll in program history.
ASU defeated four teams that competed at the 2018 NCAA Championship including No. 7 UC Irvine, No. 8 Michigan, UC San Diego, and Pomona Pitzer.
By the team, P.J. Allin was named Most Improved Lifter, Alkistis Benekou was named Lifter of the Year, Rosie Huck was named Student of the Year, Julia Reyes was named Most Improved Player, and Mia Rycraw was named MVP.
ASU matched a program-best with four ACWPC All-American honorees as Mia Rycraw and Bente Rogge represented the Sun Devils on the Second Team. Alkistis Benekou earned Third Team All-American honors while Maud Koopman was named Honorable Mention.
Four Sun Devils were also named to the MPSF All-Conference teams including Benekou, Rycraw, and Bente Rogge, named to the Second Team, and Amira Van Buren, named to the All-Newcomer team.
The Sun Devils lost goalkeeper Mia Rycraw to graduation, who became just the third Sun Devil and 15th MPSF goalkeeper to join the 800-save club. Also graduating for ASU was Alkistis Benekou, who put together four consecutive 30-goal seasons, and recorded the third-most career goals in school history (181), and Lena Mihailovic, who finished ninth on ASU's all-time career goals scored list (131).
Looking Ahead to 2019
Head coach Todd Clapper enters his 14th season at the helm of the Sun Devils, adding Sun Devil All-American and 2015 ASU graduate Petra Pardi as a full-time assistant coach this season.
Key returners for ASU include Maud Koopman, who scored 42 goals in 2018, her second consecutive 40-goal campaign. Entering this season, Koopman is just six goals away from cracking the top-10 in school history. ASU has another key returner in Bente Rogge, one of the top defenders in the nation.
The Sun Devils also add key freshmen in attacker Blaire McDowell, named MVP at both the 2018 FINA Women's World League Super Final and the 2018 UANA Junior Pan American Championships, and utility Viktoria Orlova, who was the youngest member of Canada's U18 National Team that participated in the FINA World Women's Youth Water Polo Championships held in Auckland, New Zealand. ASU also added attackers Lieke Rogge, sister of Bente Rogge, and Kekesi Borbala, as well as goalie Bridget Johnston at the start of the spring semester.
Scouting the Opponents
Marist, members of the MAAC (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., finished last season with a 20-17 record, falling to Wagner in the MAAC Championship game. Marist lost MAAC Defensive Player of the Year and All-Conference First Teamer Diana Carballo to graduation but return Second Teamers Katherine Tijerina and Justine Castro.
NYAC was founded in the early 1900's and has played a critical role in the development of water polo from youth to Olympians. With multiple national championships on both the men's and women's sides over the past 25 years, NYAC produces more national and Olympic team players than any water polo team in the country.
The Chinese women's national water polo team represents China in international water polo and is one of the leading teams in Asia. The team, most recently, won gold in the 2018 Asian Games and 2016 Asian Championship. Internationally, they finished sixth at World League in 2018 and seventh at the 2016 Olympic Games, providing a great early challenge and opportunity to train for the Sun Devils.
International Competition
Several Sun Devils had opportunities to compete internationally this summer including Bente Rogge winning gold with Team Netherlands at the European Water Polo Championships and Blaire McDowell being named MVP of the UANA Junior Pan American Championships after helping lead the Canadian Junior Team to the gold.
Rogge also represented the Netherlands at the 2018 FINA Women's Water Polo World League Super Final in late May/early June, helping the country earn its first-ever silver medal, while McDowell was a member of the Saskatchewan team that participated in the 2018 Canadian U19 National Championship in May as she was recognized the U19 National Championship MVP.
#SunDevil4Life
Sun Devil All-American Petra Pardi, who graduated in 2015 and earned her Master's Degree in Higher Education/Higher Education Administration in 2018, served as a graduate assistant coach and manager while earning her Master's and as a volunteer assistant coach this past summer.
She earned All-America honors as a junior and served as team captain her senior season, competing for the Sun Devils from 2011-15. Following graduation, she worked with Mesa Water Polo, then the only age-group water polo organization in the area. At MWP, she served as head coach of the U14 program and assistant coach for the U16 and U18 programs.