Winter 2021 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference-West Championship All-Tournament Team Announced; Haygood & Lischwe Named Most Valuable Player & Coach of the Tournament

BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Following a post-event tabulation of votes and selections from the six-competing schools’ head coaches, the Winter 2021 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC)-West Championship All-Tournament Team is released by the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) office.

Unlike past seasons in which the coaches voted on a candidate list based on nominations from their peers, the Winter 2021 MAWPC-West Championship field players were selected based on order of finish with the first and second place teams receiving three athletes (two First Team, one Second Team), the third and fourth place teams earning two places (one First Team, one Second Team) and the fifth and sixth place teams both receiving one Second Team selection.

The goalie positions, Most Valuable Player, Coach of the Tournament and Rookie of the Tournament were selected based on a vote of the six institutions (Gannon University, McKedndree University, Mercyhurst University, Mount St. Mary’s University, Salem University, Washington & Jefferson College) head coaches.

Leading the selections are MVP Matthew Haygood (Jr., Chino Hills, Calif./Chino Hills) and Doc Hunkler Coach of the Tournament Colleen Lischwe of champion McKendree, while Jason O’Donnell (Fr., Beaconsfield, Quebec/John Abbott College) of Mount St. Mary’s notched the Rookie of the Tournament accolade.

The award marks the second major honor for Haygood at the MAWPC-West Championship as he took home Rookie of the Tournament status in 2018.  In addition, the Coach of the Tournament nod marks the second of Lischwe’s tenure at McKendree as she earned the 2018 award for guiding the Bearcats to their inaugural MAWPC-West Championship.

Haygood and O’Donnell lead the way on the All-Tournament Team as McKendree, Gannon and Mount St. Mary’s – which finished first, second and third, respectively, in the tournament – each place a pair of athletes on the First Team.

Nico Rodriguez (Jr., Bogota, Colombia/Oviedo) joins Haygood as McKendree’s representatives on the First Team.  The award marks the third All-Tournament nod for Haygood who previously claimed Second (2018) and First (2019) Team honors.

Anthony Squeglia (Sr., Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) and Vladimir Mickic (So., Subotica, Serbia/Nikola Tesla) garner notice for Gannon, while O’Donnell is joined by Mountaineers’ goalie Marko Kruska (Jr., Belgrade, Serbia/West Valley College) and Mercyhurst’s Mathieu Davis (Jr., Montego Bay, Jamaica/Wolmer’s Boys’ School) to round out the seven-member First Team.

It marks Squeglia’s second All-Tournament award as he previously received Second Team notice in 2019.  In addition, it is the third consecutive year a member of the Squeglia family is recognized on the All-Tournament team as Thomas Squeglia ’20 received First Team status in 2018.

A pair of McKendree athletes highlight the Second Team as Andrew Serrano (Sr., Riverside, Calif./Martin Luther King) and goalie Ori Scanlon (Sr., Orlando, Fla./Olympia) pick-up laurels.  The award marks the second All-Tournament notice for Scanlon who claimed Most Valuable Player and First Team identification in 2018 during McKendree’s first MAWPC-West Championship victory.

Washington & Jefferson’s Will Kitsch (Jr., Mohnton, Pa./Governor Mifflin) also records his second All-Tournament kudos following Second Team status in 2019.

Mount St. Mary’s Eli Thalos (Jr., Salt Lake City, Utah/West), Gannon’s Ethan Hamp (Sr., Chicago, Ill./Von Steuben), Mercyhurst’s Derek Kagen (So., San Diego, Calif./Clairemont) and Salem’s Ivan Zijovinovic (Fr., Belgrade, Serbia) complete the Second Team by receiving their inaugural All-Tournament awards.