BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Zoe Banks (Jr., Palo Alto, Calif./Henry M. Gunn) of No. 19-ranked Harvard University tallied 18 saves during a 1-1 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division I weekend at Princeton University’s DeNunzio Pool to garner status as the April 4 CWPA Division I Defensive Player of the Week.
A five-time Defensive Player of the Week selection with honors during the 2022 (April 4, February 28, March 14), 2020 (March 9) and 2019 (February 11) seasons, Banks stopped eight shots in a 12-10 loss to No. 7 the University of Michigan prior to turning away 10 shots in a 10-8 defeat of the host/No. 21 Tigers on Saturday, April 2.
The loss to Michigan marked the smallest margin of victory for the Wolverines in a league contest since a 9-7 defeat of then CWPA member Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, on March 31, 2018. Further, it marks the smallest differential for the Maize & Blue against a current CWPA institution since an 8-7 loss by Michigan in sudden death overtime against Princeton at Harvard on April 8, 2018.
Harvard’s 10-8 win over Princeton snapped a 29 game losing streak by the Crimson to the Tigers dating back to a 6-2 win on April 25, 2004 at Bucknell University. The victory was Harvard’s first win at Princeton since April 26, 1996 – a 19-9 victory before the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sponsored women’s water polo.
April 4 Collegiate Water Polo Association Division I Defensive Player of the Week Honor Roll: Alex Brown (University of Michigan)
