BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — George Washington University’s Alana Ponce (Fr., Gig Harbor, Wash./Gig Harbor) posted 10 goals, seven assists, eight steals and two field blocks over the span of four games at Princeton University’s DeNunzio Pool on the final weekend of regular season league competition to earn recognition as the April 16 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division I co-Rookie of the Week.
Ponce, who leads the Buff and Blue with 59 goals and 84 points, opened the weekend with a goal, two assists, a steal, a field block and an ejection drawn in a 15-10 loss to the host/No. 10-ranked Tigers prior to compiling three goals, four assists, a steal, a field block and three ejections drawn in a 14-12 victory over No. 23 Harvard University on Saturday, April 14.
The win against the Crimson marked the first time GW defeated Harvard since 2004.
On Sunday, April 15, she notched two goals, three steals and an ejection drawn in a 13-5 loss to No. 25 Bucknell University prior to helping the Colonials clinch the No. 6 seed for the CWPA Championship on Friday-Sunday, April 27-29, by tallying four goals, an assist, three steals and a pair of ejections drawn in an 8-7 win versus Brown University.
The defeat of Brown was the first time George Washington knocked off the Bears since 2012.
A four-time weekly honor selection as she was named the February 5 Player and March 26 Rookie of the Week, Ponce joined teammate Dara Bleiberg (Fr., Simi Valley, Calif./Royal) and Marialena Seletopoulou (Fr., Glyfada, Athens, Greece/Yannopoulos School) of Saint Francis University in sharing the February 5 Rookie of the Week laurel.
She shares the latest Rookie of the Week award with Bucknell’s Ally Furano (Fr., Stamford, Conn./The Ursuline School) who recorded 11 goals and four assists for 15 points with seven ejections drawn and three steals in a 2-2 weekend for the No. 25-ranked Bison at Princeton.
April 16 CWPA Division I Player of the Week Honor Roll: Carmen Rosas (Brown University); Alana Ponce (George Washington University); Zsofia Polak (Hartwick College); Lindsey Kelleher (Princeton University); Marialena Seletopoulou (Saint Francis University); Christina O’Beck (University of Michigan)
April 16 CWPA Division I Rookie of the Week Honor Roll: Carissa Perez (Brown University); Marissa Webb (Princeton University); Marialena Seletopoulou (Saint Francis University); Brittany Prentice (University of Michigan)
