Collegiate Water Polo Association Releases 2022 Division III-East All-Conference Team; Sell, Persch & Tristan Collect Most Valuable Player, Rookie & Coach of the Year Awards

BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Connecticut College’s Maria Sell (Jr., San Mateo, Calif./Aragon) along with Penn State Behrend’s Marley Persch (Fr., Hudonville, Mich./Hudsonville) and head coach Joe Tristan garnered honors as the Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year lead the 2022 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division III-East Region All-Conference Team.

Selected based on nominations and votes by the head coaches of the league’s five Division III-East region institutions (Connecticut, Grove City College, Penn State Behrend, Utica College, Washington & Jefferson College), the All-Conference Team honors the 16 best players (14 field players, two goalies) in the majority opinion of the coaches.

The fifth Most Valuable Player nod for the Camels of Connecticut College following accolades for Nicolle Jasbon (2013, 2014, 2015) and Kelsey Millward (2016), Sell’s selection marks her inaugural All-Conference accolade as she leads a First Team which has three athletes with prior league nods.

Joining Sell on the First Team are 2019 Rookie of the Year/2019 Division III-East and 2021 Division III First Team pick Elaine Miller (Sr., Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) of Grove City and teammate/2021 Division III Second Team recipient Reese Trauger (Jr., Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge).  The 2019 All-Conference teams were divided into East and West Regions, while the 2020 was lost to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Due to limited competition in 2021, the East and West All-Conference teams were merged into a single all-encompassing “CWPA Division III” squad.

Shannon Young (Jr., Roseville, Calif./Roseville) of Penn State Behrend also receives her second All-Conference laurel after previously taking Second Team status in 2021.

The trio join first-time All-Conference field players Ryley McClellan (Jr., Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) of Washington & Jefferson, Sell of Connecticut and Persch of Penn State Behrend along with netminder Cecelia Weiss (Sr., Mohnton, Pa./Governor Mifflin) of Washington & Jefferson.

The Second Team is comprised exclusively of first-time All-Conference recipients as Megan DePrez (Jr., Claremont, Calif./Claremont) and Laura Anthony (Fr., Erie, Pa./Villa Maria Academy) of Washington & Jefferson, Sarah Franco (So., Weston, Conn./Weston) of Connecticut, Michelle Danley (Jr., Friendswood, Texas/Friendswood) of Grove City and Amelia Laible (Fr., Oakdale, N.Y./Connetquot) of Utica join with Emily McNaughton (Jr., Wexford, Pa./Pine-Richland) and goalie Chloe Dodgen (Jr., Riverside, Calif./Hillcrest) Penn State Behrend in rounding out the CWPA Division III-East’s 14 best players in the opinion of the five head coaches.

For Penn State Behrend, Tristan picks up his second women’s Division III Coach of the Year plaque after collecting recognition in 2016.  Persch becomes the second Lions’ women’s athlete to earn a CWPA Division III Rookie of the Week honor following 2015 recipient Maryn Horn.