ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — Shastyn Tihansky (So., Hazleton, Pa./Hazleton) of Grove City College scored a game-high seven times as the Wolverines outdistanced the Lyons of Wheaton College, 22-6, to earn a spot in the 2025 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division III Championship Seventh Place game on Sunday, April 13, at Augustana College’s Anne Greve Lund Natatorium.
Grove City (5-14, 2-6 CWPA Division III) led from start to finish in the game as the Wolverines pulled out to a 3-0 lead with 3:40 left in the first quarter on the way to outscoring Wheaton (0-13, 0-8 CWPA Division III) by counts of 6-1, 6-1, 5-3 and 5-1 in the first, second, third and fourth quarters, respectively, in coasting to a win.
The 2010, 2011, 2012 CWPA Division III Champion Wolverines – who have finished first (2010, 2011, 2012), second (2013), third (2021), fourth (2015), fifth (2014, 2016, 2019, 2022), sixth (2017, 2018), seventh (2023) and eighth (2024) in the history of the tournament – were led by Tihansky who posted seven goals and an assist in powering the Wolverines to a 9:00 a.m. Central meeting on Sunday, April 13, against either Connecticut College or Penn State Behrend for Seventh Place in the nine-team championship field.
Kiley Sill (Jr., Virginia Beach, Va./Princess Anne) (three goals-three assists), Candace Scalise (Jr., Clarence, N.Y./Clarence) (three goals), Kamryn Kerr (Sr., East Grand Rapids, Mich/East Grand Rapids) (two goals-three assists), Mikayla Zablocki (Sr., Kittanning, Pa./Armstrong) (two goals), Riley McCullough (Sr., Spring, Texas/Oak RIdge) (one goal-one assist), Sam Logue (Sr., Hollister, Calif./San Benito) (one goal-one assist), Emma Strahorn (Fr., Harleysville, Pa./North Penn) (one goal-one assist), Frances Baksa (Fr., Longwood, Fla./Lake Mary) (one goal-one assist) and Lea Steen (Jr., Schaumburg, Ill./Schaumburg) (one goal) combined for the remainder of the Wolverines’ offense to support a combined 10 save effort from Steen (seven) and Baksa (three).
Wheaton – which garners its second Ninth Place finish in as many years as a league member and varsity program – received scoring from Ryanna Ritting (Fr., Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) (four goals), Josephine Basco (Jr., Painesville, Ohio/Thomas W. Harvey) (one goal), Sophia Romo (So., Jupiter, Fla./William T. Dwyer) (one goal), Becca McKee (So., Falmouth, Maine/Falmouth) (two assists) and Charlotte Monty (So., Clinton, Conn./The Morgan School) (one assist). Goalkeeper Amelia Brown (So., Action, Mass./Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School) notched six saves in taking the loss.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| Wheaton College (0-13, 0-8 CWPA Division III) |
6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | – | 22 |
| Grove City College (5-14, 2-6 CWPA Division III) | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | – | 6 |
| Grove City Goals: | Shastyn Tihansky (7); Kiley Sill (3); Candace Scalise (3); Mikayla Zablocki (2); Kamryn Kerr (2); Riley McCullough; Emma Strahorn; Frances Baksa; Lea Steen; Sam Logue | |||||
| Wheaton Goals: | Ryanna Ritting (4); Sophia Romo; Josephine Basco; | |||||
| Saves: | Grove City – Lea Steen (7, 24 minutes), Frances Baksa (3, 8 minutes) ; Wheaton – Amelia Brown (6) | |||||
| Exclusions: | Grove City – 1; Wheaton – 4 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Grove City – 3-for-4 ; Wheaton – 0-for-1 | |||||
| Sprints: | Grove City – 2-for-4 (3rd, 4th) ; Wheaton – 2-for-4 (1st, 2nd) | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | None | |||||
| Officials: | Andy Mattson; Aleks Mitrevski | |||||
Wheaton College’s Amelia Brown (#1) makes a save
Wheaton College’s Issabel Babikova (#7) pursues Grove City College’s Frances Baksa (#18)
Wheaton College’s Isobelle Jennings (#9) & Grove City College’s Shastyn Tihansky (#17)
