NORTON, Mass. — Player of the Game Reese Winegar (Fr., Hoffman Estates, Ill./William Fremd), Alan Nadolski (Sr., Kentwood, Mich./East Kentwood), Kendall Strauss (Sr., Round Rock, Texas/Round Rock) and Jess Palmer-Sammons (Sr., Half Moon Bay, Calif./Half Moon Bay) posted pairs of goals as Division III No. 6-ranked Macalester College rolled to an 11-6 defeat of Connecticut College in the opening round of the 2026 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division III Championship at Wheaton College’s Balfour Natatorium.
The three-time (2019, 2018, 2017) CWPA Division III Champion Scots (13-5, 7-1 CWPA Division III regular season) punch the program’s ticket to a 2026 championship semifinal at 1:00 p.m. Eastern on Saturday, April 11, where Macalester will face the winner of a first round game matching Division III No. 9/seven-time (2025, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2011) CWPA Division III Championship runner-up Washington & Jefferson College and three-time (2012, 2011, 2010) CWPA Division III Champion Grove City College. Four-time (2016, 2015, 2014, 2013) CWPA Division III Champion Connecticut (3-9, 2-6 CWPA Division III regular season) will take on the fallen from the W&J-Grove City game at 10:00 a.m. in the consolation side of the championship bracket.
Macalester never trailed in the game as Strauss buried an ice-breaker with 6:50 left in the first quarter to put the Scots ahead. Ainsley Cornwall (Sr., San Mateo, Calif./Aragon) tied the game at one-all (5:26), Anna Gaisser (So., Seattle, Wash./Ingraham) pushed Macalester back in front at 2-1 (3:02) and Juno Aselton (Fr., Brooklyn, N.Y./Williston Northampton) squared the squads at two-all (33 seconds) as the Camels hung with the Scots for the majority of the first quarter.
Lorelei Bell (Sr., Encinitas, Calif./San Dieguito Academy) terminated the first quarter (four seconds) and Winegar commenced the second quarter (6:45) with goals to provide Macalester a narrow 4-2 lead. However, Connecticut erased its deficit in short order as Sarah Nagel (So., Honolulu, Hawaii/Punahou School) (6:15, man-up) and Aselton (4:22) slipped shots into the twine to balance the scoreboard at four-all.
The rally came to a conclusion in the second quarter’s final few minutes as Palmer-Sammons lined home a penalty shot with 2:40 on the clock to put Macalester ahead to stay at 5-4 heading into halftime.
Following the break, the Scots went back to work as Nadolski fired in a pair of strikes with 7:34 and 6:49 left in the third quarter to build the lead to 7-4. Aselton completed a hat-trick at 6:09 to chip Connecticut’s deficit down to 7-5, but the duo of Winegar (4:19) and Mak Kratz (So., Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) (58 seconds) drove a stake into the heart of a Camels’ comeback by bombing balls into the cage to provide their squad a comfortable 9-5 margin heading into the final eight minutes of regulation.
Aselton attempted to reignite Connecticut’s offense as the first-year swished her game-high fourth goal 17 seconds into the fourth quarter to shrink Macalester’s lead to 9-6.
However, Palmer-Sammons (4:53) and Strauss (3:39) posted the tailends of their pairs for insurance markers as the Scots closed out an 11-6 victory.
Macalester – which knocked off Connecticut by a 15-10 score during the regular season – received pairs from Winegar, Strauss, Nadolski and Palmer-Sammons to accompany solo tallies by Kratz, Gaisser and Bell. Goalkeeper Jayden Kratt (Sr., Palo Alto, Calif./Henry M. Gunn) earned the win guarding the pipes with eight saves.
Aselton led the way for the Camels with four goals to go along with solo strikes from Cornwall and Nagel. Maddie Baybeck (Jr., Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) suffered the loss in cage with eight saves.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| Connecticut College (3-9) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | 6 |
| Macalester College (13-5) | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | – | 11 |
| Macalester Goals: | Reese Winegar (2); Kendall Strauss (2); Alana Nadolski (2); Jess Palmer-Sammons (2); Mak Kratz; Anna Gaisser; Lorelei Bell | |||||
| Connecticut Goals: | Juno Aselton (4); Ainsley Cornwall; Sarah Nagel | |||||
| Saves: | Macalester – Jayden Kratt (8) ; Connecticut – Maddie Baybeck (8) | |||||
| Exclusions: | Macalester – 6 ; Connecticut – 7 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Macalester – 2-for-7 ; Connecticut – 1-for-6 | |||||
| Sprints: | Macalester – 1-for-4 (3rd ); Connecticut – 3-for-4 (1st, 2nd, 4th) | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | None | |||||
| Officials: | Mosaab Omar, Mark Veszi | |||||
Connecticut College’s Maddie Baybeck (#1)
Macalester Collge’s Kendall Strauss (#18) & Connecticut College’s Jada Keen (#7) seek a loose ball
Connecticut College’s Anna Taylor (#13) surveys the pool as Macalester College’s Jess Palmer-Sammons (#12) defends
Macalester College’s Anna Gaisser (#17) rises to shoot over Connecticut College’s Brooke Brandenburger (#6)
