PRINCETON, N.J — Tournament Most Valuable Player Jovana Sekulic (So., Belgrade, Serbia/The Episcopal Academy (Pa.)) and Player of the Game Kayla Yelensky (So., Stamford, Conn./Greenwich Academy) combined for seven goals as the No. 10-ranked/host/Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) regular season champion Princeton University Tigers claimed the program’s inaugural league championship since 2015 by hanging on for a 12-8 victory against No. 18 Harvard University in DeNunzio Pool for the 2023 CWPA Championship.
Princeton (29-3, 9-1 CWPA) adds another championship to the program’s legacy as the Tigers become the seventh host team since 2000 to win the CWPA Championship joining Indiana University (2011), the University of Michigan (2008, 2021), Brown University (2001) and itself (2000, 2015).
The Tigers – who made their 25th appearance at the CWPA Championship as the the team had advanced to the tournament every year since becoming a varsity program in 1997—but missed 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic after the 2020 championship/season was cancelled – add another crown to a legacy that includes prior championships in 2000, 2012, 2013 and 2015. Overall, the title game berth marked the ninth in program history as Princeton fell to Indiana (11-10 L in 2014 at Bucknell University), Hartwick College (8-6 L in 2007 at Princeton), Brown (11-10 L OT SD in 2001 at Brown) and Michigan (5-4 L in 2017 at Indiana; 11-8 L in 2018 at Bucknell; 10-6 L in 2019 at Brown), while claiming the 2000 (6-4 W vs. University of Massachusetts at Princeton), 2012 (6-5 W vs. University of Maryland at Brown), 2013 (7-5 W at Michigan) and 2015 (7-6 W vs. Indiana at Princeton) crowns.
Further, courtesy the victory, Princeton advances to its fourth National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship as the tournament did not begin until the year following the Tigers’ 2000 title run.
Harvard (23-9, 5-5 CWPA) fell in the conference title game for the second time in as many years. In 2022 at Bucknell’s Kinney Natatorium, the Crimson dropped a 10-4 game to Michigan for the league title. Historically, Harvard has now finished eighth (2006, 2007, 2010), seventh (2001, 2002, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2018), sixth (2003, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016), fifth (2004, 2005), fourth (2017, 2019), third (2000) and second (2022, 2023) in the program’s prior appearances at the CWPA Championship since 2001.
The 1990, 1993 and 1995 championship runner-up prior to the commencement of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) varsity competition, the Crimson drew first blood in the game as Ruby Hodge (Fr., San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) buried a shot 46 seconds into the first quarter for a quick 1-0 lead. It marked the only time Harvard led in the game as Yelensky (6:50; 3:50, man-up) turned the tables with back-to-back strikes over the remainder of the frame to stake the Tigers to a 2-1 lead after eight minutes of competition.
Annie Robinson (Sr., Riverside, Conn./Greenwich) cushioned the lead to 3-1 29 seconds into the second quarter prior to Evan Tingler (Sr., Laguna Beach, Calif./Laguna Beach) responding for Harvard at 7:05 to move the Crimson within 3-2.
Meera Burghardt (Jr., Manhattan Beach, Calif./Harvard Westlake) (4:43, man-up) and Sekulic (3:25) widened the gap to 5-2 prior to Grace Thawley (Sr., Santa Ana, Calif../Mater Dei) (1:57) and Sekulic (1:31) exchanging goals to allow Princeton to enter halftime with a 6-3 margin.
Yelensky completed a hat-trick 24 seconds into the third quarter to increase the spread to 7-3, but the Crimson attempted to rally back as Jaiden Miller (Sr., Coquitlam, B.C./Dr. Charles Best Secondary) dumped in back-to-back scoring bids at 7:22 and 6:30 to close within 7-5.
Princeton put the contest out of reach over the remainder of the third quarter as Kaila Carroll (Jr., Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich) (4:32, man-up), Rachael Carver (So., Laguna Beach, Calif./Laguna Beach) (3:28, man-up), Burghardt (1:03) and Yelensky (one second, penalty shot) fired in four consecutive strikes to set the scoreboard at 11-5 heading into the fourth quarter.
Thawley snapped the run with 6:32 left in the fourth quarter to inch within 11-6, but Sekulic responded at 6:15 (man-up) to again make it a six-goal game at 12-6.
The Crimson shrank its final margin of defeat down to four prior to the concluding horn and a Princeton celebration as Brooke Hourigan (Sr., Newport Beach, Calif./Orange Lutheran) found the back twine with man-up (5:31) and penalty shot (1:21) strikes for the 12-8 final score.
For Harvard, Thawley, Miller and Hourigan posted pairs with Tingler and Hodge chipping in solo markers. Zoe Banks (Sr., Palo Alto, Calif./Henry M. Gunn) made six saves prior to exiting the game with 2:09 remaining in the second quarter. Alexis Kieckhafer (Jr., Coto de Caza, Calif./Santa Margarita) finished out the game with three stops.
Yelensky (four), Sekulic (three) and Burghardt (two) inflicted outscored Harvard 9-8, while Carver, Robinson and Carroll tacked on insurance with solo markers in support of an eight save effort by netminder/Rookie of the Tournament Lindsey Lucas (Fr., Orinda, Calif./Miramonte).
Princeton will now await word if the team needs to compete in a play-in game to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship tournament or advances directly into the field at the University of the Pacific’s Chris Kjeldsen Pool on May 12-14 in Stockton, Calif.
Following the championship, the All-Tournament Team was announced:
| 2023 Collegiate Water Polo Association Division I Championship | |
| All-Tournament Team | |
| Most Valuable Player: | Jovana Sekulic (Princeton University) |
| Rookie of the Tournament: | Lindsey Lucas (Princeton University) |
| Doc Hunkler Coach of the Tournament: | Derek Ellingson (Princeton University) |
| First Team | |
| Zoe Banks (Goalkeeper) | Harvard University |
| Grace Thawley | Harvard University |
| Brooke Hourigan | Harvard University |
| Jovana Sekulic | Princeton University |
| Kayla Yelensky | Princeton University |
| Taylor Halbauer | Saint Francis University |
| Kata Utassy | University of Michigan |
| Second Team | |
| Lindsey Lucas (Goalkeeper) | Princeton University |
| Laura Larkin | Princeton University |
| Erin Neustrom | University of Michigan |
| Ava Morrant | University of Michigan |
| Zoe King | Brown University |
| Madeline Poissonnier | Brown University |
| Addison Williams | Saint Francis University |
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| No. 18 Harvard University |
1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | – | 8 |
| No. 10 Princeton University | 2 | 4 | 5 | 1 | – | 12 |
| Princeton Goals: | Kayla Yelensky (4); Jovana Sekulic (3); Meera Burghardt (2); Rachael Carver; Annie Robinson; Kaila Carroll | |||||
| Harvard Goals: | Grace Thawley (2); Jaiden Miller (2); Brooke Hourigan (2); Evan Tingler; Ruby Hodge | |||||
| Saves: | Princeton – Lindsey Lucas (8) ; Harvard – Zoe Banks (6, 13:51), Alexis Kieckhafer (3, 18:09) | |||||
| Exclusions: | Princeton – 6 ; Harvard – 13 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Princeton – 6-for-13 ; Harvard – 2-for-6 | |||||
| Sprints: | Princeton – 4-for-4 ; Harvard – 0-for-4 | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | Princeton – YC (Princeton bench, 5:11 left in 1st Q), YC (Head coach Derek Ellingson, 5:48 left in 2nd Q) ; Harvard – None | |||||
| Officials: | Alex Stankevitch; Joe Peila | |||||
Harvard University – 2023 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Runner-Up
Princeton University – 2023 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Champion
