Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Champion Named Southern Most Valuable Player
April 24, 2009 | Women's Water Polo
Four members of the Princeton women's water polo team earned Southern honors from the CWPA on Friday night at its annual Eastern banquet. Junior Phoebe Champion was named the league's Most Valuable Player, and along with classmate Helen Meigs and freshman Kristen Ward, named first-team All-Southern.
Champion became the seventh league Player of the Year and the first since Elyse Colgan earned her fourth consecutive honor in 2007. The Southern MVP has come from Princeton in seven of the least nine seasons. In addition to the honor she was named a first-team All-South for the second straight year. She was also a second-team choice as a freshman. Champion leads the team with 43 goals and also has 18 assists and 32 steals. She also is Princeton's top player on sprints and has drawn a team-high 34 exclusions.
Meigs earned Southern honors for the first time in her career. The junior is Princeton's all-time leader in assists and has 59 this season. She also ranks second on the team with 35 goals and has 21 steals.
Ward was the first-team goalkeeper. The freshmen went 7-9 this season in goal but stopped 56 percent of the shots she faced with 154 saves. Sophomore Lauren Brunner, a first-team selection as a freshman and the league's Rookie of the Year, was named to the second team. She ranks third on the team with 34 goals this season.
All-South Team
First Team
Kristin Ward - Princeton University
Phoebe Champion - Princeton University
Helen Meigs - Princeton University
Valentina Rozas - Bucknell University
Allison Peotter - George Washington University
Elizabeth Hopkins - University of Maryland
Elina Goldenberg - University of Maryland
Second Team
Ashleigh Jobson - University of Maryland
Blaise Stanicic - University of Maryland
Rachel Jordan - University of Maryland
Marissa Stamler - George Washington University
Lauren Brunner - Princeton University
Kandis Canonica - Bucknell University
Aubrey Rowe - Bucknell University
MVP: Phoebe Champion, Prince University
Rookie of the Year Elina Goldenberg, University of Maryland
Coach of the Year: John Abdou, Bucknell University