BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Austin College goalie Valery Piachonkina (Fr., Castro Valley, Calif./Mission San Jose) made 47 saves during a 2-2 weekend for the Kangaroos during the opening collegiate weekend for the first-year varsity program in Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division III-West Region competition at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. For her performance during her inaugural intercollegiate games, she earns status as the March 4 CWPA Division III co-Defensive Player of the Week.
She opened her intercollegiate career by stopping 12 shots in an 11-7 loss to Division III No. 8-ranked and two-time (2017, 2018) defending CWPA Division III Champion Macalester College on Saturday, March 2. In the late game, Piachonkina turned away 11 scoring chances to claim a 9-6 victory over the host/fellow first-year varsity Tigers of Wittenberg.
On Sunday, March 3, she stopped 15 shots in a 15-3 defeat of Carthage College prior to collecting nine stops in a 14-12 loss to Division III No. 10 Monmouth College.
Piachonkina shares co-Defensive Player of the Week recognition with Macalester goalie Courtney Overland (Sr., Honolulu, Hawaii/Iolani) who totaled 56 saves during a 4-0 weekend for the Scots.
March 4 Collegiate Water Polo Association Division III Defensive Player of the Week Honor Roll: Skylar Rapp (Monmouth College); Anya Bennett (Wittenberg University)
