Feb. 27, 2002

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

Just Briefly
The 6th-ranked Lions played in the UC Santa Barbara Invitational last weekend, going 2-2 on the event. They started off the weekend with a 8-5 win over Hartwick to advance to play the USC Women of Troy. The Trojans defeated the Lions 10-6 as the Lions moved into consolation play. On Sunday they defeated San Diego State 7-5 to play for 5th place. They faced the San Jose State Spartans, who defeated the Lions 9-8 on double-overtime. The Lions ended the tournament with a 6th-place finish.

This Week
LMU's women's water polo team is set to play a single game this week, as they travel back to San Diego, CA, to face the UC San Diego Tritons in a WWPA match. The Lions are still ranked at No. 6 coming off of the 2-2 weekend. They are led by senior utility player Lucy Windes who has 22 goals for the team. Senior goalie Devon Courtney has been in the cage for all of the Lions' 10 games so far this season, collecting 85 saves. As a team, the Lions's defense has allowed an average of only 5.9 goals per game this season.

Weekend Wrap-up
The Lions competed in the UC Santa Barbara Gaucho Invitational last weekend, going 2-2 on the weekend. They defeated No. 15 Hartwick (8-5) and 12th-ranked San Diego State (7-5), and fell to No. 3 USC (10-6) and in the final game the team was defeated by 5th-ranked San Jose State in a close 9-8 double-overtime game. The Lions ended the event in 6th-place. Sophomore utility player Jamie Kroeze was the only Lion to score a goal in all of the matches over the weekend. She currently has seven goals on the season, four of those scored in the Lions 8-5 victory over Hartwick.

This Weekend - Viva San Diego, again.
The Lions will travel to face the 11th-ranked UC San Diego Tritons this weekend to play in their only game scheduled for this week. The Tritons are 6-4 on the season, and are scheduled to host No. 13 Michigan on Wednesday before hosting the Lions on Saturday. UCSD is led by Dana Tucker who has 17 goals on the season, shooting .515. Goalie Stephanie Lombardo has played 23 quarters for the Tritons, collecting 47 saves.

The Numbers
The youth of the pride has contributed to the teams success over this early part of the season. Sophomores Teresa Guidi and Jamie Kroeze have combined for 21 goals this season. Guidi also leads the pack in steals, with 25. She sits at second in assists (5) this season as well. Junior Julia Wald has made an impact with her three years of experience, putting 13 goals in the cage. She currently leads the team in assists (7).

Newcomers
This season the Lions are bringing on the next class of recruits. This year Adrianne Sulaver, Rachel Saal, Kelsey Wilcox, Jessica Conner and Laura Sunderman join the Lions squad. Saal and Sunderman are both transfer-students, however Sunderman will serve a redshirt season for the Lions in 2002. Wilcox and Conner both competed on the Lions' swimming team during the fall and winter as well.

Veteran Lions
The Lions' returning player have experienced one of the most successful athletic programs at LMU. Returning for second and third seasons with the Lions are juniors Julia Wald, Nicole Norris, Christina Radvanyi and sophomores Jamie Kroeze, Teresa Guidi and Rebecca Peterson. With one and two seasons in the pool, these Lions have developed a sense of what it takes to win conference and National Championship as they have experience the entire spectrum of competition.

Senior Class
This year will be the fourth season of water polo at LMU. John Loughran started the program with this year's senior class, the first recruiting class at LMU. Seniors Caroline Guidi, Orla Stewart, Meredith Bellotti, Devon Courtney and the Lions all-time leading scorer, Lucy Windes, will play in their final season of water polo for the Lions.

LMU's Head Coach
Head Coach, John Loughran, enters his fifth season overall at LMU as the head coach of all three aquatics programs at LMU. He started the women's water polo movement at LMU in his second season as the head aquatics coach, and has taken all three programs to new levels. In his three-year career with the Lions women's side he has posted a 75-50 overall record. Last season he coached the women's water polo team to their first-ever conference title, earning the WWPA Coach of the Year honor. Last fall he took his men's team to the same level, as they too won the conference title and a bid to the NCAA Final Four.