ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — 2025 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Most Valuable Player Jess Palmer-Sammons (Jr, Half Moon Bay, Calif./Half Moon Bay) scored with 2:05 left in the second overtime period as Division III No. 8-ranked Macalester College eluded Division III No. 6/CWPA Division III regular season champion Austin College
A three-time league champion (2017, 2018, 2019), the Scots (12-9, 7-1 CWPA Division III) garner the program’s third consecutive third place finish as the squad has now claimed first (2017, 2018, 2019), third (2023, 2024, 2025), fourth (2011, 2013, 2014, 2022), fifth (2012, 2015), sixth (2010) and seventh (2016) at the CWPA Division III Championship with 10 semifinal appearances. In addition, the victory avenges Macalester’s lone conference regular season loss – an 11-8 loss at Austin in Sherman, Texas, on March 16.
Austin (12-9, 8-0 CWPA Division III) concludes the season in fourth place as the Kangaroos dropped a 10-5 semifinal game to Division III No. 10-ranked in the semifinals before taking the setback facing the Scots. The 2025 season marks the first time in program history that Austin did not play for the CWPA Division III crown as the ‘Roos hold prior first (2021, 2022) and runner-up (2019, 2023, 2024) marks.
In a clash that saw neither team hold a lead of more than two goals for the duration of regulation and overtime, Palmer-Sammons deciding factor concluded an epic back-and-forth contest between the pair of former league champions.
Elizabeth Matlin (Sr., Buffalo Grove, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson) delivered the game’s ice-breaking score as she spun in a shot with 6:14 left in the first quarter to put Macalester in front. Austin fired back as Bianca Gallegos (Jr., Albequerque, N.M./Manzano) lined in a five-meter penalty shot with 4:33 on the clock prior to Ashlyn Thomas (Fr., Winter Garden, Fla./West Orange) finishing a natural opportunity 33 seconds later as the ‘Roos hopped in front 2-1.
Macalester returned the favor by depositing a pair of strikes prior to the first quarter horn as Palmer-Sammons (1:40) and Alana Nadolski (Jr., Kentwood, Mich./East Kentwood) converted six-on-five opportunities to provide the Scots a 3-2 margin following eight minutes of action.
The lead did not survive until halftime, however, as Joslyn Dimitri (So., Couer d’Alene, Idaho/Couer d’Alene) flushed a feed at the 2:36 mark of the second quarter for an equalizer as the teams entered the break deadlocked at three-all.
Dimitri’s goal revitalized the Austin offense as Dimitri (7:46) and Clara Koenig (Fr., Cypress, Texas/Bridgeland) (6:18) attempted to deliver a knock-out blow for the ‘Roos by swishing even-strength tallies to stake Austin to a 5-3 advantage on the scoreboard.
Similar to the first half, the Scots bobbed and weaved their way back into the game as Hannah Fasi (So., Honolulu, Hawaii/Iolani School) (5:18) and Palmer-Sammons (4:43, penalty shot) landed scoring blows to square the squads at five-all.
True to the game’s pattern to that point, Austin racked up back-to-back goals prior to the end of the third quarter to race back into the lead as Gallegos (2:50) and McKenna Malone (Jr., Flower Mound, Texas/Flower Mound) (six seconds) dented the twine to make it 7-5 through 24 minutes of back-and-forth competition.
Neither team found the cage until there was less than three minutes left in the fourth quarter when Matlin (2:28) moved Macalester back to within a goal at 7-6. Palmer-Sammons balanced the scoreboard 67 seconds later (1:21) by firing in a penalty shot, but Dimitri delivered a retort via a man-up marker at 1:01 to return Austin to the lead at 8-7.
Matlin completed a hat-trick prior to the final horn as the senior sliced in a shot with 31 seconds remaining to deadlock the teams at eight-all and bring on overtime.
Following a scoreless first OT frame, Palmer-Sammons struck for what proved to be the game-winner with 2:05 left in the second extra session to allow the Scots to escape Rock Island with a 9-8 win.
For Macalester, Palmer-Sammons (four goals-one assist), Matlin (three goals-three assists) led the way, while Fasi (one goal), Nadolski (one goal) and Sian Lewandowsk (Sr., North Haven, Conn./Willison Northampton) (one assist) also supported a 12 save effort by goalkeeper Jayden Kratt (Jr., Palo Alto, Calif./Henry M. Gunn).
Dimitri (three goals), Gallegos (two goals), Malone (one goal), Thomas (one goal), Koenig (one goal-one assist), Ashley Chand (Sr., Southlake, Texas/Southlake) (one assist), Mikhaela Torres (So., Cypress, Texas/Bridgeland) (one assist) and Sophie Johnson (Fr., Lantana, Texas/Guyer) (one assist) joined with goalkeeper Ashley Easley (So., San Antonio, Texas/Brandeis) (seven saves) to account for the statistics of significance for Austin.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | OT1 | OT2 | – | FINAL | |
| Division III No. 6 Austin College (12-9, 8-0 CWPA Division III) | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 8 |
| Division III No. 8 Macalester College (12-9, 7-1 CWPA Division III) | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | – | 9 |
| Macalester Goals: | Jess Palmer-Sammons (4); Elizabeth Matlin (3); Hannah Fasi; Alana Nadolski | |||||||
| Austin Goals: | Joslyn Dimitri (3); Bianca Gallegos (2); McKenna Malone; Ashlyn Thomas; Clara Koenig | |||||||
| Saves: | Macalester – Jayden Kratt (12) ; Austin – Ashley Easley (7) | |||||||
| Exclusions: | Macalester – 11 ; Austin – 7 | |||||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Macalester – 4-for-7 ; Austin – 2-for-11 | |||||||
| Sprints: | Macalester – 5-for-6 (1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th; 6th) ; Austin – 1-for-6 (3rd) | |||||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | None | |||||||
| Officials: | Tiffany Ruiz-Urbanski; Andy Mattson | |||||||
Austin College’s Mikayla Arizmendi (#12) scans the field as Macalester College’s Jess Palmer-Sammons (#12) defends
Macalester College’s Jayden Kratt (#1) prepares to stop a shot from Austin College’s McKenna Malone (#7)
Austin College’s Mikayla Arizmendi (#12) scopes Macalester College’s Elizabeth Matlin (#6) on defense
