2019 MAAC Water Polo Championship Preview
POUGHKEEPSIE, NY – The 2019 MAAC Water Polo Championship gets underway on Saturday at the McCann Natatorium on the campus of Marist College. Marist is the host for the 17th consecutive season and the entire championship will once again on ESPN3.
The top seed in the championship is Wagner College (28-9, 13-1 MAAC) as the Seahawks claimed the program’s fourth straight regular season title. This weekend the Seahawks are seeking a sixth straight MAAC Championship and eighth overall.
In the first semifinal on Saturday at 12 p.m. on ESPN3 it is No. 1 seed Wagner and No. 4 VMI (16-12, 6-8). Wagner swept the season series against VMI this season by a combined score of 40-9. The Seahawks were paced by freshman Sofia Diaz Alvarez, who was second in the MAAC in goals with 106. Erica Hardy led the circuit in points at 160. Redshirt-freshman McKenna Imset led the VMI attack with 86 goals during the regular season.
Second seeded Marist College (21-15, 12-2) and third seeded Iona College (15-16, 9-5) square-off in the other semifinal at 2 p.m. also on ESPN3. Both matchups are rematches from last season’s semifinals. Marist’s Carsen Horvatich posted a .563 save percentage in league games, which led the MAAC. The Gaels got 70 goals from Jordan Van Reeken and 69 from Jillian Schultz during the regular season.
Wagner and Marist have met in the last five championship games. Wagner is 5-0 in those contests. One of Marist or Wagner has made the championship game every year since 2003 and the two programs have combined for 12 MAAC Championships.
The consolation and championship games are on Sunday, April 28, at 12 and 2 p.m. respectively and will air on ESPN3.
For more information on the 2019 Water Polo Championship, visit
maacsports.com/wp. Tickets for this weekend’s championship are available at
maacsports.com/tickets or on-site at McCann Natatorium.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 38
th year of competition during the 2018-19 academic year. Current Conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.