ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — Xiomara Trejo (Fr., Chicago, Ill./Fenwick) scored a game-high four times to lead the way as Carthage College outmatched Penn State Behrend, 19-4, in the 2025 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division III Championship’s Fifth Place game at Augustana College’s Anne Greve Lund Natatorium.
The Firebirds (7-20, 3-5 CWPA Division III) – which knocked off the Lions (6-14, 4-4 CWPA Division III) by a 17-14 score on March 15 at Austin College in Sherman, Texas, during the regular season – never trailed by opening up 6-1, 13-2 and 16-2 leads by the conclusion of the first, second and third quarters, respectively, to overpower Penn State Behrend.
Carthage – which previously notched second (2010), third (2014, 2015, 2016 2017, 2018), fourth (2013, 2019, 2021), fifth (2011, 2012), sixth (2024), seventh (2022) and eighth (2023) place marks in the team’s prior tries at the CWPA Division III Championship – were led by Trejo (four goals), Yamila Areizaga (Jr., Chicago, Ill./Lincoln Park) (three goals, two assists), Grace Steinberg (Jr., Arlington Heights, Ill./John Hersey) (two goals-two assists), Brenna Carstens (Jr., Coronado, Calif./Coronado) (two goals-two assists), Mak Werner (Fr., Tinley Park, Ill./Tinley Park) (two goals-one assist), Sarah Lowery (Sr., Chicago, Ill./Fenwick) (two goals), Morrigan Bushroe (So., Evanston, Ill./Evanston) (one goal-three assists), Kaylin Machuca (So. Corona, Calif./Santiago) (one goal-one assist), Kiera Crawley (Fr., Chelsea, Mich./Chelsea) (one goal), Faith Harris (Jr., Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) (one goal), Aubrey Korzyniewski (Fr., Grayslake, Ill./Waren Township) (one assist) and Kira Jacobsen (Fr., Mount Greenwood, Ill./Mother McAuley) (one assist). Rylee McGee (Sr., Schaumburg, Ill./Conant) earned the win in cage with 12 saves.
Nic Darrell (Sr., Perkasie,Pa./Pennridge) (three goals) and Lauren True (So., Denton, Texas/Guyer) (one goal) combined for the Lions’ trio of tallies. Goalkeeper Monica Villasenor (So., San Gabriel, Calif./Pasadena) turned aside three shots in taking the loss as Penn State Behrend has now finished in fourth (2016), fifth (2018), sixth (2025), seventh (2013, 2015, 2017, 2024), eighth (2010, 2014, 2019, 2022) and ninth (2011, 2012, 2023) place at the CWPA Division III Championship.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| Carthage College (7-20, 3-5 CWPA Division III) | 6 | 7 | 3 | 3 | – | 19 |
| Penn State Behrend (6-14, 4-4 CWPA Division III) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | – | 4 |
| Penn State Behrend Goals: | Nic Darrell (3); Lauren True | |||||
| Carthage Goals: | Xiomara Trejo (4); Yamila Areizaga (3); Brenna Carstens (2); Grace Steinberg (2); Sarah Lowery (2). Mak Werner (2); Kiera Crawley; Kaylin Machuca; Morrigan Bushroe; Faith Harris | |||||
| Saves: | Penn State Behrend – Monica Villasenor (3) ; Carthage – Rylee McGee (12) | |||||
| Exclusions: | Penn State Behrend – 7 ; Carthage – 5 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Penn State Behrend – 0-for-5 ; Carthage – 4-for-7 | |||||
| Sprints: | Penn State Behrend – 1-for-4 (4th) ; Carthage – 3-for-4 (1st, 2nd, 3rd) | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | None | |||||
| Officials: | Aleks Mitrevski; Steve Redding | |||||
Penn State Behrend’s Monica Villasenor (#1)
Penn State Behrend’s Susie Carrillo (#16) & Carthage College’s Xiomara Trejo (#8)
Carthage College’s Riley McGee (#1A)
