Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Three Tigers Named to CWPA First Team, Johnson Tabbed Player of the Year
April 23, 2015 | Women's Water Polo
COMPLETE CWPA ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
PRINCETON, N.J. – Helping the 12th-ranked Princeton University women's water polo team to a 26-3 (9-1 CWPA) record and the top seed in the upcoming Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Championship, Ashleigh Johnson has been named the conference's Player of the Year.
Johnson is the fourth consecutive Princeton player to take home the league's top honor, following in the footsteps of former Tiger Kate Rigler, who picked up three-straight Most Valuable Player honors from 2012-14.
Just the second goalie to be named the CWPA Player of the Year, Johnson joins two-time Western Division MVP, Olympic gold medalist, and Michigan standout Betsey Armstrong as the only netminders to take home the conference's top prize. Joining Johnson on the CWPA first team were teammates Ashley Hatcher and Jessie Holechek.
In the midst of another stellar season, Johnson has posted a 17-3 record in her 20 appearances. Logging 577:54 minutes in net, she has turned away 241 of the 345 shots she has faced en route to a 0.699 save percentage and three CWPA Defensive Player of the Week awards. Also collecting 28 steals and 13 assists, Johnson scored her first collegiate goal on Feb. 14 against Wagner.
Recording at least 10 saves in 12 of her outings this season, Johnson turned away a single-game program-record 22 shots against George Washington on Mar. 28. Her 241 saves in 2015 currently ranks seventh on the school charts. Just 16 saves shy of tying CWPA Hall of Fame inductee Goga Vukmirovic for the program's career saves record (990), Johnson already owns the two-highest single-season save totals in Princeton history with 367 stops in 2014 and 366 saves in 2013.
Enjoying a career year, Hatcher currently leads the Tigers in scoring with 70 goals in her 28 appearances. Netting at least three scores in 13 of her outings, she has found the back of the opposing net in all but two contests. Posting a career-high six goals against Loyola Marymount on Mar. 20, Hatcher had seven goals on just eight shots in a pair of wins over Harvard and Brown last weekend to earn her first-ever CWPA Player of the Week honor.
Registering a 0.583 shot percentage, Hatcher's 70 goals currently sit tied for seventh in the school's single-season recordbook. Her 186 career goals rank sixth on the program charts. Also dishing out 18 assists on the year, her 65 career helpers are the 10th-most in Princeton history.
Playing an integral role in the Tigers' success this season, Holechek ranks second on the team in goals (46), assists (34), and blocks (12). Netting a goal in 23 of her 29 appearances, Holechek has factored into the scoring in all but one of her outings. With 14 multi-goal games to her credit, Holechek as dished out multiple assists on 10 occasions.
Entering the year with 111 career scores, Holechek has upped her total to 157, climbing to eighth on the program charts. Her 34 assists this season is the eighth-most in school history, while her 84 career helpers sit sixth all-time.