2024-25 Gannon water polo team

Women's Water Polo Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Championship Preview: Gannon to Face Fresno Pacific in Opening Round of WWPA Women's Championship

GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (7-13) at WWPA WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP
DATE/TIME: Friday, April 25 to Sunday, April 27, 2024 | All Day
POOL/LOCATION: Peak Health Aquatic Center at Mylan Park l Morgantown, W.Va..
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
 
WWPA WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE (all times ET)
Friday, April 25
Game 1 -- (Exhibition), UC Merced (5-23) vs #1E McKendree (19-7) – 9:00 a.m.
Game 2 -- (Quarterfinals), No. 3W Cal State Monterey Bay (7-18) vs No. 2E Salem (9-18) – 11:00 a.m.
Game 3 -- (Quarterfinals), No. 3E Gannon (7-13) vs No. 2W Fresno Pacific (13-11) – 1:00 p.m.
Game 4 -- (Exhibition), UC Merced (5-23) vs No. 1W Biola (9-17) – 3:00 p.m.
 
Saturday, April 26
Game 5 -- (Exhibition), Game 2 Loser vs UC Merced – 9:00 a.m.
Game 6 -- (Semifinals), Game 3 Winner vs #1E McKendree – 11:00 a.m.
Game 7 -- (Semifinals), Game 2 Winner vs #1W Biola – 1:00 p.m.
Game 8 -- (Exhibition), Game 3 Loser vs UC Merced – 3:00 p.m.
 
Sunday, April 27
Game 9 -- (5th Place), Game 2 Loser vs Game 3 Loser – 9:00 a.m.
Game 10 -- (3rd Place), Game 6 Loser vs Game 7 Loser – 11:00 a.m.
Game 11 -- (Championship), Game 6 Winner vs Game 7 Winner – 1:00 p.m.
 
 
ERIE, Pa. -- The Gannon women's water polo team competes in the 2025 WWPA Championships this weekend from Friday, April 25 to Sunday, April 27. Salem is hosting the tournament at the Peak Health Aquatic Center at Mylan Park in Morgantown, W.Va.

Head coach Zarko Sadikovic's team enters as the number three seed in the WWPA Eastern Division after going 1-3 in WWPA action and 7-13 overall. The Golden Knights face No. 2W Fresno Pacific in a quarterfinal game on Friday. The Sunbirds are 13-11 overall and were also 1-3 in Western Division play.

Gannon and Fresno Pacific have met twice before, both in the WWPA Championships with close results. A year ago Fresno Pacific edged the Golden Knights 9-8 in the consolation round, with the winning goal coming with just six seconds remaining. In the 2022 consolation round the Sunbirds handed Gannon a 10-8 defeat, scoring the final three goals of the match.

Friday's action has two quarterfinal matches along with two exhibition contests featuring UC Merced. Gannon and Fresno Pacific meet in the third game of the day at 1:00 p.m.

On Saturday the winners from Friday's two quarterfinal games move on to the semifinals while the losers will face UC Merced in exhibitions. The Gannon-Fresno Pacific winner is slated to play No. 1E McKendree at 11:00 a.m. while the loser takes the pool at 3:00 p.m.

Sunday's action gets underway at 9:00 a.m. with the fifth place game, followed by the third place match at 11:00 a.m. The 2025 WWPA championship game will take place at 1:00 p.m.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS RELY ON PAIR OF ALL-WWPA PERFORMERS
Gannon is led by a pair of All-WWPA performers as the conference announced its award winners on Wednesday. Jade Strickland (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill) was named to the first team and was also one of seven players named to the All-Defensive Team. In addition, Molly Fehr (Erie, Pa./Villa Maria) earned honorable mention All-WWPA honors.

A senior, Strickland is now a three-time All-WWPA honoree after earning first team honors two years ago and second team a year ago. She was named to the All-Freshman Team in 2022 and has now been named to the All-Defensive Team the last two years.
 
The native of Santa Ana, California, is Gannon's leading scorer for the third straight season with 43 goals and 20 assists for 63 points. In addition she also leads the team in steals with 30 and is second in defensive exclusions (17).
Strickland has climbed to ninth in career goals with 179 and is fifth in career assists with 9.

Fehr, a junior from Erie, Pa., is second to Strickland in scoring with 58 points and leads Gannon with 46 goals. She adds 12 assists. She was named to the 2023 WWPA All-Freshman Team after finishing as Gannon's second-leading scorer with 49 points. She has moved into the top 20 in career goals with 116, adding 34 assists for 150 points.

OTHER GOLDEN KNIGHTS TO WATCH
Freshman Brigid Carmody (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn) is third on the team in goals (31), assists (15), and points (46), while sophomore Emma O'Gorman (Johannesburg, South Africa/St Stithians College) has contributed 28 goals and 10 assists. Ellie Velasco (Bronx, Calif./Arlington) is a fifth Golden Knight with at least 20 goals, as the senior has 20 goals and 16 assists, the latter total good for second on the team.

Sadikovic can call on plenty of experience in the goal in Molly Sebunia (Erie, Pa./McDowell). The senior has 96 saves with a 13.32 GAA and .340 save percentage. He has also broken in freshman Izabella Trunzo (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) who has an 11.90 GAA and .393 save percentage.
 
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Players Mentioned

Molly Fehr

#12 Molly Fehr

2MD
Junior
Emma O

#4 Emma O'Gorman

C
Sophomore
Molly Sebunia

#1 Molly Sebunia

GK
Senior
Jade Strickland

#2 Jade Strickland

ATK
Senior
Ellie Velasco

#8 Ellie Velasco

ATK
Senior
Izabella Trunzo

#1A Izabella Trunzo

GK
Freshman
Brigid Carmody

#20 Brigid Carmody

UTIL
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Molly Fehr

#12 Molly Fehr

Junior
2MD
Emma O

#4 Emma O'Gorman

Sophomore
C
Molly Sebunia

#1 Molly Sebunia

Senior
GK
Jade Strickland

#2 Jade Strickland

Senior
ATK
Ellie Velasco

#8 Ellie Velasco

Senior
ATK
Izabella Trunzo

#1A Izabella Trunzo

Freshman
GK
Brigid Carmody

#20 Brigid Carmody

Freshman
UTIL