Tigers fuse frosh, veterans

The giant orange banners draped on the walls of DeNunzio Pool hint at the storied legacy of the women's water polo program. Last season, the Tigers went 20-6, won their third consecutive Southern Championship and finished third at the Eastern Championships.

Coming off his eighth straight 20-win season, head coach Luis Nicolao, in his ninth year at the helm, looks to build on the recent success of his program.

"We're pretty thrilled about our freshman class as a whole," said Nicolao, the 2006 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Women's Coach of the Year. "They each bring something to the team that is needed."

Indeed, the Tigers' four freshmen are set to make an immediate impact. Center defender Lauren Sabb and utility player Helen Meigs were teammates at Bishop High School, where they led their San Diego, Calif., school to three straight state championships. Driver Clare Premo and utility player Phoebe Champion, a three-time Junior Olympic All-American, also hail from California.

The strong crop of freshman talent is balanced by an equally impressive core of senior leadership. The 16-player roster boasts seven seniors.

Senior standout Elyse Colgan led the team last season with 47 goals in 25 games. A member of the U.S. National Team, Colgan also notched 23 assists and 20 steals as a junior.

Her classmate Karina Reyner is also one of the team's most explosive players. The Miami, Fla., native had 32 goals last spring, in addition to her 28 steals. Fellow senior Samantha Shaughnessy is a versatile center and one of the squad's top contributors on both ends of the pool. Senior utility players Jazmin Brown and Jessica Ajoux recorded 25 and 10 goals, respectively, in 2006 and have been consistent scorers for the past three years.

Yet the Tigers' abundance of seniors will pose a challenge as the season progresses. Nicolao expressed concern that since the season's culmination — the Eastern Championships — coincides with senior theses deadlines, stress may eventually affect some of Princeton's key players.

Also, because this year's team is smaller than past squads, staying healthy during the three-month-long season — in what is an extremely physical sport — will be imperative. Coupled with a strong field of competitors, injuries may derail the Tigers' championship ambitions.

But Nicolao contends that this year's team is more experienced than his 2006 squad and has the drive to improve upon last year's third-place finish at Easterns.

It's hard to argue with him on that.

The National Collegiate Women's Top-20 Preseason Poll ranks Princeton 18th nationally in a list that includes such water polo powerhouses as USC, Stanford and California. Because Princeton's level of play is unrivaled in the Ivy League — only Harvard and Brown even compete on the varsity level — the Tigers vie for supremacy in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC), which includes schools from major conferences like the Big Ten and the Big East.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

This year's Easterns will be hosted by Princeton on April 20 and 21. Indiana, Bucknell, Michigan and Hartwick — the defending Easterns champion — will likely pose the greatest obstacles to the Tigers' title hopes.

"There are three or four teams this year who think they can win it. It's just a matter of who's playing the best this April," Nicolao said. "But we know we have the talent to [win the title]."

Though junior Carolina Ardila — Princeton's third-leading scorer from a year ago — is no longer listed by the athletic department on the team's official roster, three of the Tigers' top four goal-makers are returning. But aside from Princeton's fiery offense, the Orange and Black also claims some of the best defensive players on the East Coast. Shaughnessy led the Tigers on defense in 2006 with an incredible 49 steals, while Brown had 32 steals. And junior goalkeeper Natalie Kim surrendered just 145 goals in 25 games last season, averaging over eight saves per game.

"We have a very solid team this year and have been working really hard," Colgan said. "I also think we have been playing really well in practices and clicking as a team."

Nicolao also emphasized his team's chemistry and potential.

"I think that we're very excited about the year," Nicalao said. "We have a tough first two weeks, but I think the girls are motivated and looking forward to having a successful year."

The Tigers' first two weeks will include games against some of the nation's best teams. Princeton opens the season on Feb. 10 at the Triton Invitational in San Diego, Calif., against No. 16 UC San Diego.

Depending on the outcome of that match, the Tigers will play three additional matches in the tournament, which features 12 top-20 teams. Then, on Feb. 17 the Tigers will challenge Michigan, the team that defeated Princeton last April in the semifinal round of Easterns.