SHERMAN, Texas - The Austin College women's water polo heads into the 2024 campaign ranked No. 9 in the nation after making back-to-back trips to the national Final Four, and the 'Roos will be looking to make it three berths in a row as they head into the new season with a young but talented squad.
Head coach Mark Lawrence's team features plenty of experience, including seniors Emily Engberson, Sammi Thiele, Cory McGrath, Kylee Noble, and Alyssa Ross, but they'll also be looking for early impacts from a number of newcomers this year. Austin College finished second in the CWPA last season and fourth at the national level, but the talent and potential is there to shake things up with both. McGrath and Ross both return as All-Americans from a season ago, with Ross coming back as one of the top scorers from last year with 24 goals.
Lawrence believes that in addition to Ross and McGrath, Noble also boasts All-America potential, and players like Thiele and Engberson bring lots of experience, leadership, and enough talent to become All-Conference, and possibly All-America performers. While the 'Roos do head into the season with a young roster, it also features student-athletes who have seen enough success to continue challenging for the CWPA title in the 2024 campaign.
Engberson heads into the season as the favorite to take over the starting spot in goal, though first-year keeper Ashley Easley has flashed enough, along with sophomore Michaela Hautzinger, to create an extremely competitive preseason when it comes to minding the cage. All three are expected to get some run this season, with the starting role up for grabs as the team heads into its opening weekend in New England. Lawrence will be looking to Engberson, in particular, to help lead the team forward thanks to her outstanding work ethic and belief in the team's culture, and the head coach has noted her willingness to become a mentor to her youngere teammates.
Another returning player Lawrence believes will make a big jump in her second season with the program is Ashley Chand, a junior center defender who began her career at NCAA Division I school Siena before transferring back closer to home to play for the 'Roos a year ago. Austin College has another talented transfer who has been added to the mix this year in Bianca Gallegos, a center from Albuquerque who played for Wittenberg University and now joins the 'Roos for her sophomore season.
The 'Roos feature a number of both returning and new players on this year's roster, with Emma Boyce and McKenna Malone also adding plenty of game experience as the newcomers get settled in and acclimated to the college game, including Xytali Silkey, Kamryn Kriepe, Sofia Guzman, Morgan Evans, Gracey Kettler, Mikhaela Torres, Caroline Armstrong, and Joslyn Dimitri all joining the mix, in addition to Gallegos. Dimitri and Torres are among those expected to be instant contributors as utility players, with both bringing versatile skillsets and physical aggression to the pool.
Austin College opens the season in Providence and Boston this weekend, taking on Salem and Brown on Saturday and Siena and LaSalle on Sunday.