ANN ARBOR, Mich. — University of Michigan water polo head coach Dr. Marcelo Leonardi announced Skyler Pyle, Heidi Ritner and Sofie Pontré as captains for the 2020 season.
Pyle, a senior from Long Beach, Calif., has played in 85 career games for the Wolverines. She has tallied 40 goals and 34 assists in a role that has grown each year as a bench performer. It is her wealth of experience as a student-athlete that impresses Leonardi.
“Every year, she has developed new skills in water polo, studying abroad and internships that have helped her relate to each class in our program,” he said. “A lot of the younger student-athletes look up to her in drills, and she is great at building their confidence.”
“It feels great, but something we talked about a lot this year is you don’t need a ‘C’ on your chest to be a leader on the team,” said Pyle. “A lot of leaders have emerged. Hopefully, I can be a good leader and I am excited to see how I grow as a captain.”
Ritner, a senior from Newport Beach, Calif., is a three-year starter at goalkeeper. She has an 80-25 overall record with 722 saves to rank second all-time at Michigan. She is an excellent communicator and is a two-time all-conference selection. Leonardi appreciates who she is as a person.
“She is a genuine soul with a warm heart,” he said. “As talented as she is as a player, she is very receptive to people and is great at building relationships.”
“I know that I am leading with two other great girls, so it feels good,” said Ritner. “Nothing really changes with our team, but it gives others a designated person to ask questions.”
Pontré is the first junior to be named a captain for the program since Ali Thomason in 2015. The Perth, Western Australia, native is a two-year starter with 38 goals and 31 assists in 71 games. She is a key defender for the team. So far this fall, she has taken her game to another level.
“She is coming in to her own,” Leonardi said. “She maintains order within the ranks with her presence in the water and weight room as she makes sure everyone is living by our pillars and following team rules.”
“I can focus on leading girls in and out of the pool because this consolidates my role on the team,” said Pontré. “I was going to try and be a leader on the team whether I was a captain or not.”
Release courtesy University of Michigan Athletics Communications
