Water polo blazes a trail in Oregon

Author: Emma Gardner

Amid 14 Division I colleges and only one other Division III team, Middlebury proved to be the little school that could this past weekend at the Women's National Collegiate Club Water Polo Championship held in Gresham, Ore. Placing eighth in the nation, the women achieved the highest level of success the team has seen since its formation in 2000.

Flying across the country to compete against the nation's top teams, the women experienced the excitement of the championship for the second time in the short history of the program.

"As the smallest school in the tournament, we were just excited to be able to participate at such a high level," said goalie Kristen LaPlante '10, who three weeks ago was the New England Division's Player of the Week. "We were especially thrilled to have won the New England Division a few weeks ago, which the team had never done before."

Despite a particularly successful season, the women did not initially expect to place above half of the participating teams. That changed when the Panthers learned of their first-round opponent.

"As soon as we found out we would be playing against Boston College in our first game, we became more excited because we thought we might have a chance at winning," said Laplante.

Sure enough, Middlebury experienced the taste of victory in a 6-5 defeat of the Eagles in which Caitlin Pentifallo '09 was named Player of the Game and the Panthers obtained a position in the championship's "top-eight" bracket. Pentifallo was certainly deserving of the praise, after she scored the game-winner with 2:09 left in fourth period.

The following three games proved to be greater challenges for Middlebury, as the women faced two heavy-hitting California teams and the fourth-ranked University of Florida.

Though they suffered a 13-1 loss against second-ranked California Polytechnic Institute, the Panthers remained in good spirits throughout the game, knowing that they had shown a valiant effort against the tournament's eventual champion.

The Panthers were once again unable to replicate their earlier success in Saturday night's game against UCLA, and yet they retained their morale by keeping in mind the fact that many of their opponents had, according to LaPlante, "been playing since they were five years old, while some of our players first learned the game three months ago."

In its contest against the Florida Gators for seventh place, Middlebury demonstrated solid offensive and defensive skills, and the match resulted in a closer score of 8-4, albeit in the Gators' favor.

The strength of the Middlebury team despite its small size and short history is part of what LaPlante appreciates most about her experience as a Panther water polo player.

"It's unique because everyone on the team plays, regardless of how limited her experience may be," she said. "While we play to win, we also have a lot of fun."

Though the program graduated seven seniors last year, the team really flourished with the addition of three first-years.

"We had a really new team," said LaPlante, "and by the end of the season we meshed very well and came out as the best Middlebury has ever been."

LaPlante's experience as a Middlebury athlete has been additionally supplemented by the unique opportunity to play alongside her sister, Jeannie LaPlante '08, who won the title of Most Valuable Player at the New England Division Championships this season.

"It's been a really fun season playing with my sister," she said. "I'm definitely going to miss it."