May 20, 2005

Los Angeles, CA (May 20) - After finishing with a program best 30-7 record, the Loyola Marymount University women's water polo team moved up one spot in the final National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Top-20 to rank sixth in the nation for the 2005 season. The Lions earned a fifth place finish in the 2005 NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship last weekend.

The Lions, who entered the NCAA tournament ranked seventh in the nation, earned wins of 16-4 over Wagner and 10-5 over No. 8 Michigan to close out the 2005 season and the NCAA Championship for the fifth place finish. The Lions have earned a win in every NCAA tournament since it began in 2001. LMU fell to fourth-ranked Hawaii 12-8 in the first round of the NCAAs.

With the wins in the tournament, LMU secured a 30-win season for the first time in program history. The Lions have now won five straight Western Water Polo Association Championships, the most consecutive titles by any program in school history. In addition, the Lions have earned six straight winning seasons and five straight seasons with 20 or more wins. Head Coach John Loughran has helped his team set a program record for wins in a season in five of the last six seasons.

Loughran, a four-time WWPA Coach of the Year, led the Lions to its first winning season of 18-16 in 2000 and they have been rolling ever since. They claimed their first 20-win season in 2001 with a 23-7 mark. They followed that with a 21-8 record. They broke the wins mark at 24-9 in 2003 and then did one better in 2004 at 25-6. This season's winning percentage of 81.0 is also a program best.

This season the Lions used a 13-game winning streak, tied for best in the program's history, to claim another win record. The Lions did it in 2005 with just one four-year senior on the squad. For the 2006 season the Lions will return 92 percent of their offense as they lose 30-goal scorer Jessica Conner to graduation.

Junior Stacia Peterson, who was among the nation's leaders in goals as she set the LMU single season scoring mark with 75 this season, will return for her fourth and final season with the Lions. The Lions will also return all-conference players Christine Robinson (48 goals) and Katie Hicks (51 goals) in the field. Also returning in the field will be All-Tournament selection Rosanna Tomiuk (44 goals).

Also back for her junior season will be WWPA Player of the Year Rachel Riddell. The two-year goalie from Canada finished the season with 333 saves to lead the nation this season. She allowed just 10 goals in three games in the WWPA tournament and made 23 saves in the NCAA tournament.

National Collegiate Women's Top 20 Poll