EDISON, NJ (Jan. 18, 2024) – LIU and Wagner College have been selected as the 2024 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Water Polo preseason favorites, as voted on by the league's nine head coaches.
LIU and Wagner both collected an identical 76 points in the preseason poll to lead the conference. The Sharks received five first-place votes, while the Seahawks earned the remaining four first-place votes. LIU enters this season as the defending MAAC Champions after claiming the 2023 title, the first in its program history. 2023 Regular Season Co-Champions and last year’s Championship runner-up, Wagner will look to regain its spot atop of the MAAC, having won seven out of the past nine league trophies and a MAAC-leading 10 overall tournament crowns.
Marist College, who also earned a share of the 2023 Regular Season title, was tabbed third in the poll behind the duo, receiving 64 points. 2023 semifinalist, Iona University and 2023 championship qualifier, La Salle University, tied for fourth-place in the poll, each garnering 45 points to round out the top-five.
LIU’s senior attacker, Paola Dominguez-Castro, was tabbed MAAC Preseason Player of the Year and Wagner’s sophomore goalie, Francesca Sena, earned MAAC Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year honors.
The remainder of the Preseason All-MAAC Team and full Preseason Coaches’ Poll can be found below.
| 2024 Water Polo Coaches’ Poll |
| T1 |
LIU |
76 (5) |
| T1 |
Wagner |
76 (4) |
| 3 |
Marist |
64 |
| T4 |
Iona |
45 |
| T4 |
LaSalle |
45 |
| 6 |
Mount St. Mary’s |
35 |
| 7 |
Villanova |
28 |
| 8 |
Siena |
25 |
| 9 |
VMI |
11 |
| Preseason Player of the Year |
| Paola Dominguez-Castro, LIU |
| Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year |
| Francesca Sena, Wagner |
| Preseason All-MAAC Team |
| Player |
Position |
Year |
Institution |
| Francesca Co’ |
Attacker |
Jr. |
La Salle |
| Elena Camarena |
Attacker |
Sr. |
LIU |
| Paola Dominguez-Castro |
Attacker |
Sr. |
LIU |
| Ella Baumgarten |
Center |
Jr. |
Marist |
| Carlota Alonso |
Attacker |
Jr. |
Wagner |
| Andrea Arias |
Center |
Sr. |
Wagner |
| Francesca Sena |
Goalkeeper |
So. |
Wagner |
The 2024 MAAC Water Polo Championship will take place April 26-28. The six-team, single-elimination championship will be hosted by Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY. Marist has hosted the Water Polo Championship annually since 2003. For all information regarding the 2024 MAAC Water Polo Championship, please visit
maacsports.com/wp.
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 43rd year of competition during the 2023-24 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan College, Marist College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College. Merrimack College and Sacred Heart University will join the MAAC as full members in the 2024-25 academic year, expanding the conference to 13 institutions.
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