BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Goalie Heidi Ritner (So., Newport Beach, Calif./Corona del Mar) of No. 8-ranked the University of Michigan made 32 saves with 15 steals in 144 minutes of play on January 20-21 at the University of California-Santa Barbara Winter Invitational to earn notice as the January 22 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division I Defensive Player of the Week.
A 10-time weekly honor recipient from the CWPA league office after previously taking five Rookie of the Week (January 23, February 13, February 27, April 10, April 15) and four Defensive Player of the Week (January 23, February 27, April 10, May 15) nods as a freshman in 2017, she held four nationally-ranked opponents to five or fewer goals in helping the Maize & Blue finish 3-2 in the team’s season-opening tournament.
She posted five saves and five steals in a 5-4 loss to No. 4 University of California-Los Angeles in Michigan’s season-opener on Saturday, January 20. Following a one save/two steal performance in the first half of a 14-5 win against No. 23 California State University-Northridge, she recorded nine saves and four steals in a 10-7 victory over the No. 14/host Gauchos to conclude day one.
On Sunday, January 21, she made seven saves with two steals in an 11-4 defeat of No. 17 University of California-San Diego prior to tacking on 10 saves and two steals in a 5-3 loss to No. 5 Arizona State University.
