LEWSISBURG, Pa. — Tournament Most Valuable Player Maddie O’Reilly (Gr., Villanova, Pa./The Episcopal Academy) posted three goals to lead all scorers as No. 7-ranked the University of Michigan claimed the program’s sixth consecutive Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Championship with a 10-4 defeat of No. 17 Harvard University at Bucknell University’s Kinney Natatorium.
The Wolverines (26-8, 12-0 CWPA Division I) pick-up the program’s sixth consecutive (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022) crown – excluding the 2020 season lost to the COVID-19 pandemic – and 11th championship (2002, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022) in 15 title game appearances (2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022) dating back to the start of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) varsity water polo in 2000.
Michigan never trailed against first-time title game participant Harvard (23-7, 9-3 CWPA Division I) as O’Reilly opened the scoring with a five-meter penalty shot at the 6:53 mark of the first quarter. Ava Morrant (Sr., Maple Ridge, B.C./Maple Ridge Secondary) padded the lead to a pair at 2-0 by volleying in a shot at 4:44 prior to Erin Kim (Fr., Irvine, Calif./Foothill) putting the Crimson on the board at 5:26. Maddy Steere (Sr., Pascoe Vale Australia/St. Catherine’s School) inflated the spread back to a pair (3-1) prior to the close of the opening frame by slipping in a shot at 2:37.
Steere (6:01) and Erin Neustrom (Sr., Moraga, Calif./Campolindo) (2:18) accounted for all the damage in the second quarter as the Maize & Blue held a 5-1 gap by halftime.
Sasha Constandse (So., Irvine, Calif./Mater Dei) shaved Harvard’s deficit down to three at 5-2 with 4:50 on the third quarter clock, but Morrant (4:26), O’Reilly (3:11, man-up) and Kayla Barone (Sr., Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) (2:27) went back-to-back-to-back to build Michigan’s margin to 8-2.
Following a third quarter concluding strike by Evan Tingler (Jr., Laguna Beach, Calif./Laguna Beach) with eight second left, the Crimson pulled within four as Kim connected on another tally with 7;24 on the fourth quarter clock.
However, Barone (4:42) returned a five goal lead to Michigan prior to O’Reilly completing a hat-trick with 2:31 until the completion of the final game on the 2022 CWPA Division I Championship weekend.
For Harvard, Kim deposited a pair with Constandse and Tingler each accounting for single strikes. Historically, the Crimson have now finished eighth (2006, 2007, 2010), seventh (2001, 2002, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2018), sixth (2003, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016), fifth (2004, 2005), fourth (2017, 2019), third (2000) and second (2022) since 2000 at the CWPA Championship.
Michigan – which claims the league’s automatic berth to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship – received offense from O’Reilly (three), Morrant (two), Steere (two), Barone (two) and Neustrom (one).
The seeding for the NCAA Championship is slated to occur on Monday, April 25, at 8:00 p.m. on NCAA.com.
The NCAA Championship field is comprised of six conference automatic qualifiers (Collegiate Water Polo Association, Big West Conference, Golden Coast Conference, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, Western Water Polo Association) along with three at-large selections. The Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) elected to withdraw their automatic qualification in the 2022 NCAA Championship field as the league’s champion and runner-up will compete at the USA Water Polo Division III Championship with the CWPA Division III Champion and runner-up/
Due to the SCIAC’s decision to forego their automatic qualifier to the NCAA Championship, only one opening round game will occur on either Saturday, April 30, on one of the competing institutions’ campuses or at the NCAA Championship site – Michigan’s Canham Natatorium in Ann Arbor, Mich. – on Tuesday, May 3.
The victor of the opening round game will join the top seven seeded teams for the NCAA Championship on Friday-Sunday, May 6-8, at Michigan. Four quarterfinal games will occur on Friday, May 6, prior to a pair of semifinals on Saturday, May 7, and the National Championship game on Sunday, May 8. All games will be streamed live on NCAA.com.
At-Large selections for the championship will occur by NCAA Bylaw 31.3.3; Criteria for Selection of Participants:
● Won-lost record;
● Strength of schedule; and
● Eligibility and availability of student-athletes for NCAA championships.
In addition to Bylaw 31.3.3, the NCAA Women’s Water Polo Committee defines the following primary criteria (not in
priority order):
PRIMARY CRITERIA
● Head-to-head competition.
● Results versus common opponents.
● Rating Percentage Index (RPI).
If the evaluation of the primary criteria does not result in a decision, the following secondary criteria will be reviewed:
SECONDARY CRITERIA
● Late-season performance — defined as the last 10 games including conference championship tournaments (strength and results).
As listed above, the Women’s Water Polo Committee will use the Rating Percentage Index (RPI) as a primary criteria during the selection process. An institution’s RPI ranking consists of three factors that are weighted as follows:
- Factor I – Winning Percentage – 25%
- Factor II – Opponents’ average winning percentage – 50%
- Factor III – Opponents’ opponents’ average winning percentage – 25%
Once the teams are selected, the NCAA Women’s Water Polo Committee seed the top four teams using the criteria listed above. Coaches’ polls and/or any other outside polls or rankings are not used as a criterion by the Women’s Water Polo Committee for selection purposes.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| No. 17 Harvard University (23-7, 9-3 CWPA Division I) |
1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | – | 4 |
| No. 7 University of Michigan (26-8, 12-0 CWPA Division I) | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | – | 10 |
| Michigan Goals: | Maddie O’Reilly (3); Ava Morrant (2); Maddy Steere (2); Kayla Barone (2); Erin Neustrom | |||||
| Harvard Goals: | Erin Kim (2); Sasha Constandse; Evan Tingler | |||||
| Exclusions: | Michigan – 7 ; Harvard – 6 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Michigan – -for-6 ; Harvard – -for-7 | |||||
| Sprints: | Michigan – 3-for-4 (1st, 3rd, 4th) ; Harvard – 1-for-4 (2nd) | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | None | |||||
| Officials: | Joe Peila; Josh Kratz | |||||
2022 Collegiate Water Polo Association Championship Second Place – Harvard University
2022 Collegiate Water Polo Association Champion – the University of Michigan
2022 Collegiate Water Polo Association Championship Coach of the Tournament – Dr. Marcelo Leonardi with Assistant Coaches Josh Hower & Jessica Gaudreault
2022 Collegiate Water Polo Association Championship Rookie of the Tournament – Jovana Sekulic (Princeton University)
2022 Collegiate Water Polo Association Championship Most Valuable Player – Maddie O’Reilly (University of Michigan)
