BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Macalester College seniors Jess Palmer-Sammons (Half Moon Bay, Calif./Half Moon Bay) and Jayden Kratt (Palo Alto, Calif./Henry M. Gunn) of the women’s water polo team were selected to the 2025-26 College Sports Communicators (CSC) National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Women’s At-Large Academic All-America Team. Palmer-Sammons is on the first team after making the third team in 2025, while Kratt is included on the third team for her first Academic All-America honor.
The duo garner the 21st and 22nd Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) women’s water polo Academic All-America honors since 2004, while becoming the fifth and sixth Academic All-America nods in the history of the Scots’ water polo program following prior kudos presented to Palmer-Sammons (2025, Third Team), Eleanor Michaud ’23 (2023, Second Team), Lucille Moran ’19 (2019, Third Team) and Katie Larson ’05 (2005, Third Team).
In the history of the league, Macalester surpasses both Augustana College (four) and Gannon University (four) for the most Academic All-America selections. The Grove City College (two), University of Michigan (two), Washington& Jefferson College (two), Connecticut College (one) and Indiana University (one) account for the CWPA’s other eight honors.
A three-time All-CWPA first team selection and the CWPA Most Valuable Player in 2025 and 2026, Palmer-Sammons made the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) Division III All-America second team after receiving All-America honorable mention the previous two seasons. This year she led Macalester with 48 goals and 32 assists for 80 points in 22 games this season. In three games at the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Championships hosted by Wheaton College in Norton, Mass, on Friday-Sunday, April 10-12, Palmer-Sammons tallied six goals and five assists for 11 points to lead the Scots to the CWPA title as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
At the USA Water Polo Division III National Championship on Saturday-Sunday, April 25-26, at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in Pomona, Calif., she scored one of Macalester’s two goals against eventual-champion Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, then had two goals, an assist and four steals in a 7-6, comeback victory over Carthage College in the third-place game. Also a key component in the Scots’ defense, she registered 51 steals. In 78 career matches at Macalester, she has 153 goals and 70 assists for 223 points while swiping 131 steals.
A biology and Spanish double-major at Macalester, Palmer-Sammons has earned the ACWPC All-Academic Award three times and has made the CSC Academic All-District team three times. At Macalester Athletics’ year-end celebration in May, she was named the M Club Women’s Team Student-Athlete of the Year, which recognizes the Macalester student-athlete who has contributed the most to the team’s success through athletic achievement, leadership and academic excellence.
Kratt, who received ACWPC All-America honorable mention status in 2024, made the ACWPC All-America honorable mention team after making the All-CWPA second team this season. Also an All-CWPA first team selection last year after receiving All-CWPA honorable mention as a sophomore, she played in 17 games this year, registering 158 saves while posting an 8.18 goals against average and a .539 save percentage. Kratt also notched 12 steals and added five assists. She made a season-high 20 saves in the win over Austin on Mar. 15. At the CWPA Championships, Kratt registered 14 saves in an 11-6 win over Connecticut College, 12 saves in a 10-4 victory over Grove City College and 11 saves in a 14-9 title game defeat of Carthage. She was named to the All-Tournament First Team. In 53 career matches, Kratt made 509 saves and posted a goals against average of 8.14 and a save percentage of .551.
A neuroscience major, Kratt earned the ACWPC All-Academic Award three times. She also has made the Academic All-District team twice. Kratt and Palmer-Sammons’ academic excellence has helped the Scots post the second-highest team grade point average among all women’s collegiate water polo programs in each of the previous two years.
The CSC Academic All-America and All-District program honors student-athletes for excellence in both academics and athletics. Student-athletes must be a sophomore, junior or senior, have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.50 or higher and have competed in 90 percent of the team’s total games played or have started 66 percent of the team’s total games to be considered for Academic All-District and All-American accolades. Honorees are selected via a vote by the CSC membership.
Macalester, coached by Scott Reed, posted a 16-6 record, captured the CWPA Tournament championship for the fourth time (2017, 2018, 2019, 2026) and made the program’s first appearance in the USA Water Polo Division III National Championship, where the squad placed third.
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