PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Defending Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Champion Princeton University earned the right to defend its crown as the Tigers dispatched Bucknell University, 17-4, in the first semifinal of the 2025 CWPA Championship hosted by Brown University at the Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center.
The two-time defending Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Champion with titles in 2023 and 2024, Princeton (21-6, 10-2 CWPA) will aim to join Slippery Rock University (1988-to-1996) and the University of Michigan (2008-2010; 2016-2019) as the only programs to three-peat at the CWPA Championship if the team can claim the title tilt on Sunday, April 27, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern against the victor of a semifinal matching No. 15 Harvard University and No. 16 Michigan.
In the history of the league, Princeton has faced Harvard once for the league crown (2023) and stands at 2-3 against Michigan for the league title with five prior meetings (2013, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2024).
The 2000, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2023 and 2024 CWPA Champion Tigers continue a pattern of title game appearances as Princeton fell to Indiana University (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), 2015 (7-6 W vs. Indiana at Princeton), 2023 (12-8 W vs. Harvard at Princeton) and 2024 (10-9 W vs. Michigan at Harvard) crowns. However, Princeton has advanced to only five National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships as the tournament did not begin until the year following the Tigers’ 2000 title run.
The Tigers – who are making the program’s 27th appearance at the CWPA Championship as the squad 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 – led from opening whistle to closing horn against a Bison (15-13, 4-8 CWPA) squad which stunned host/No. 20 Brown by a 7-6 score on the first day of competition on Friday, April 25.
Princeton – which earned a first round bye in the seven-team championship bracket – opened its championship weekend by putting the pedal down in the first quarter versus the Bison as Shanna Davidson (Jr., Huntington Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos) (6:29, man-up), Rachael Carver (Sr., Laguna Beach, Calif./Laguna Beach) (5:53), Charlotte Riches (So., Laguna Beach, Calif./Laguna Beach) (3:27, 3:08), 2025 CWPA Most Valuable Player Kayla Yelensky (Sr., Stamford, Conn./Greenwich Academy) (1:52) and Olivia Krotts (So., Laguna Beach, Calif./Mater Dei) (1:19) spun in shots to acquire a 6-0 lead after eight minutes of action.
Bucknell – which fell to Princeton by scores of 19-5 (February 22 at Harvard) and 14-8 (April 12 at Bucknell) during the regular season – broke up the shutout two minutes into the second quarter as Bella Schraa (Jr., Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich) converted a six-on-five opportunity to move the Bison within 6-1 with six minutes remaining in the first half.
The remainder of the first half was the terrain of the Tigers as Grace Houlahan (Sr., Laguna Beach, Calif./Laguna Beach) (5:37), Yelensky (2:59, penalty shot) and Ava Houlahan (Jr., Laguna Beach, Calif./Laguna Beach) (2:06, nine seconds) flushed feeds to stake Princeton to a commanding 10-1 heading into halftime.
The Tigers continued to pull away in the third quarter as Carver (6:24), Yelensky (5:52; 26 seconds, man-up) and Ava Houlahan (1:27) dented the twine to inflate Princeton’s lead to 14-1 through 24 minutes of action.
Bucknell chipped two goals off its deficit during the first four minutes of the fourth quarter as Ashley Hopper (Fr., Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich) (5:11) and Regan Coon (So., New York, N.Y./Trinity School) (4:11, man-up) curled in shots to close the Bison within 14-3 of Princeton as time continued to wind down.
Ava Houlahan (3:27), Kate Mallery (Sr., Stanford, Calif./Henry M. Gunn) (1:40) and Riches (16 seconds) capped off Princeton’s scoring, while Rhys Beutler (Fr., Redlands, Calif./Laurel Springs) delivered Bucknell’s final blow with 1:40 to play as the Tigers advance to the tournament title tilt and the Bison are bestowed a Third Place game berth.
For Bucknell – which previously placed second (2021), third (2019), fourth (2006), fifth (2010, 2016, 2018), sixth (2008, 2014, 2017, 2022, 2023, 2024), seventh (2004, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2015), eighth (2003, 2012), ninth (2000) and 11th (2002) since 2000 in the many versions of the CWPA/Eastern Championship – Coon, Beutler, Schraa and Hopper each accounted for solo strikes. Goalkeeper Tamara Torkos (So., Budapest, Hungary/Boldog Adolf Kolping Katolikus Általános, Gimnázium és Sportgimnázium) turned aside seven Princeton scoring tries in taking the loss.
The Bison will look to claim the program’s third Top Three finish at the CWPA Championship on Sunday, April 27, as Bucknell tangles with the fallen from the Harvard-Michigan semifinal. This year, the Orange & Blue went 0-2 against both Harvard (18-4 L, February 22 at Harvard; 18-5 L, April 5 at Michigan) and Michigan (16-13 L, March 14 at San Diego State University; 19-7 L, March 22 at Michigan).
Across the tank, Yelensky led the way with four goals to claim Player of the Game status. Ava Houlahan (four), Riches (three), Carter (two), Davidson, Grace Houlahan and Krotts accounted for the remainder of Princeton’s offense in support of a nine save effort by 2024 CWPA Most Valuable Player Lindsey Lucas (Jr., Orinda, Calif./Miramonte).
Princeton will enter the title game with history against either Harvard or Michigan as the Tigers swept the Wolverines (10-9 W, February 22 at Harvard; 9-8 W, April 5 at Michigan) and split with the Crimson (7-6 L, February 8 at Harvard; 12-8 W, March 29 at Princeton) during the regular season. The Tigers’ No. 1 position in the championship field was due to a tiebreaker as both Princeton and Harvard finished 10-2 during the CWPA regular season, but Princeton took the top spot in the championship field due to goal differential in the two meetings between the teams.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| Bucknell University (15-13, 4-8 CWPA) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | – | 4 |
| No. 10 Princeton University (21-6, 10-2 CWPA) | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | – | 17 |
| Princeton Goals: | Kayla Yelensky (4); Ava Houlahan (4); Charlotte Riches (3); Rachael Carter (2); Kate Mallery; Shanna Davidson; Grace Houlahan; Olivia Krotts | |||||
| Bucknell Goals: | Regan Coon; Rhys Beutler; Bella Schraa; Ashley Hopper | |||||
| Saves: | Princeton – Lindsey Lucas (9) ; Bucknell – Tamara Torkos (7) | |||||
| Exclusions: | Princeton – 9 ; Bucknell – 10 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Princeton – 3-for-10 ; Bucknell – 2-for-9 | |||||
| Sprints: | Princeton – 4-for-4 ; Bucknell – 0-for-4 | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | None | |||||
| Officials: | Joe Peila, Easton Honaker | |||||
Bucknell University’s Anna Plante (#10) attempts to elude Princeton University’s Kate Mallery (#4)
Princeton University’s Lindsey Lucas (#1) makes a save against Bucknell University
Princeton University’s Rachael Carver (#5) looks for an opening as Bucknell University’s Olivia Hopper (#3) pursues
Princeton University’s Kayla Yelensky (#20) rises to shoot over Bucknell University’s Lehua Bender (#13)
