SAINT PAUL, Minn. — The Division III No. 8-ranked Macalester College water polo team opened up the program’s 2026 season with a pair of wins against Grove City College, 21-7, and Carthage College 8-6, in non-conference action on day one of the Macalester Invitational at the Riley Pool. The Scots are now 2-0 to kick off their season.
Despite conceding the first goal of the contest to Grove City, the Scots wouldn’t let that phase them. Macalester was able to get on the board courtesy of a goal from sophomore Anna Gaisser (Seattle, Wash./Ingraham) and after a back-and-forth eight minutes, the Scots entered the second quarter with a slight 4-3 advantage.
The rest of the match belonged to Macalester, as in the second quarter, the Scots kept the Wolverines from finding the back of the net once.
Alongside some strong defense, the goals started to pour in during the second quarter for Macalester. The squad netted seven markers with Gaisser and senior Jess Palmer-Sammons (Half Moon Bay, Calif./Half Moon Bay) scoring three each and first-year Alice Lemmon (Evanston, Ill./ Evanston Township) got in on the action with two to give the Scots an 11-3 advantage heading into halftime.
It was more of the same for Macalester in the second half, as they continued to flex their muscles offensively, scoring ten additional goals to secure a commanding 21-7 victory.
It was a complete team effort for the Scots, with Gaisser scoring five, while Palmer-Sammons and Lemmon each accounted for three strikes. Six other Scots were able to find the back of the net and contribute, while senior goalkeeper Jayden Kratt (Palo Alto, Calif./ Henry M. Gunn) notched three saves to secure the win.
In the second contest of the day for the Scots, the home team started in familiar territory after giving up the first goal of the game. Shortly after, Macalester found their footing and pumped in four goals, with three of them coming from first-year Reese Winegar (Hoffman Estates, Ill. William Fremd), to push ahead 4-1 by the conclusion of the first quarter.
During a defensive second quarter, the Scots found another goal courtesy of Palmer-Sammons and conceded a score to enter halftime clutching a 5-2 lead.
Carthage continued to fight back in the third quarter and put pressure on the Scots by staying within striking distance to trail 7-5 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Firebirds inched to within a goal, Lemmon iced the game by denting the twine to provide Macalester an 8-6 advantage that the team carried until the final buzzer.
Wingear led the Scots with three goals, while four other Scots got in on the action offensively. Kratt logged nine saves for Macalester en route to a victory in game two.
Information courtesy Macalester College Athletics Communications
