Season Review: 2021 Michigan Water Polo
6/11/2021 5:15:00 PM | Water Polo
Team Captains: Maddie O'Reilly, Sofie Pontré, Emily Ritner, Heidi Ritner, and Kathy Rogers
Record: 21-5, 6-0 CWPA (1st)
CWPA Championships: Champion
NCAA Championship: Quarterfinals
The 2021 season marked the 21st year of the University of Michigan water polo program. Team 21 won the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Championship for the fifth consecutive season, earning the 10th NCAA Tournament automatic bid in school history. The Wolverines finished the season with a 21-5 record after losing to No. 4 Arizona State in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.
U-M defeated Bucknell, 12-5, to roll to the CWPA Championship after going undefeated in conference play during the regular season (6-0). The Wolverines are 42-2 in CWPA play under head coach Dr. Marcelo Leonardi in seven seasons. Michigan finished the season with a No. 7 ranking, earning a top-10 final ranking for the fifth straight season.
Team Highlights
• Dr. Marcelo Leonardi led the Wolverines to a .808 winning percentage, marking the fifth straight full season U-M has had a win percentage of .700 or better, and was named the 2021 Coach of the Year by the CWPA.
• Team 21's 21-6 overall record was the fifth consecutive full season of 20 wins or more.
• Michigan had a perfect 8-0 record at Canham Natatorium for the season, improving the home record under Leonardi's guidance to 43-5 in his seven years at the helm of the Wolverines.
• U-M was ranked in the top 10 in every CWPA poll of the 2021 season to extend its streak of top-10 rankings to 47 consecutive weeks. The team began the year at No. 5 and finished the campaign ranked seventh.
• Michigan continued to challenge itself against the nation's best, playing four games against teams ranked in the top five and 10 games against top-15 opponents.
Individual Highlights
• Senior captain Maddie O'Reilly was named the CWPA Player of the Year as well as the CWPA Championship Most Valuable player. The Villanova, Pa., native led the Wolverines with 47 goals scored to go with 33 assists, 21 steals and 11 field blocks. O'Reilly earned CWPA Player of the Week honors four times during the season and will be returning for a fifth year in 2022.
• Heidi Ritner returned for a fifth year and etched her name across the U-M record book in the process. With her 13-4 record on the campaign, she increased her already best career win total to 101. The two-time team captain increased her career save percentage to .538, good for fifth in program history, and finished her career with a 5.38 goals-against average, the third best in U-M annals. Ritner earned an All-America honorable mention nod and was the CWPA Defensive Player of the Week four times.
• Senior captain Sofie Pontré was named All-America honorable mention, marking back-to-back years the defender earned All-American recognitioin. Pontré made an impact on both offense and defense, scoring 14 goals and adding 10 assists, while contributing 21 steals and six field blocks. The Perth, Western Australia, native was also an All-CWPA first-team member.
• Junior Erin Neustrom also was named an All-America honorable mention, scoring 27 goals and adding four assists while drawing 29 exclusions during her third season with the Maize and Blue. The Moraga, Calif., native had three shots and three drawn exclusions in the NCAA tournament against No. 4 Arizona State, earning an All-Tournament nod.
• Rookies Libby Alsemgeest and Kata Utassy burst onto the scene as offensive threats for the Wolverines, with each first-year attacker eclipsing the 30-goal plateau in their freshman campaigns. Alsemgeest, who earned the team's Rookie of the Year award, scored 33 goals, had three assists and added 20 steals defensively. Utassy finished with 51 points thanks to 32 goals and 19 assists.
Honors and Awards
Maddie
O'Reilly
Erin
Neustrom
Sofie
Pontré
Heidi
Ritner
Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches
All-America (Second Team): Maddie O'Reilly
All-America (Honorable Mention): Erin Neustrom, Sofie Pontré, Heidi Ritner
Collegiate Water Polo Association
Player of the Year: Maddie O'Reilly
Coach of the Year: Dr. Marcelo Leonardi
All-CWPA (First Team): Erin Neustrom, Maddie O'Reilly, Sofie Pontré, Heidi Ritner
All-CWPA (Second Team): Anne Rankin, Emily Ritner
CWPA Weekly Honors
Player of the Week: Maddie O'Reilly (Feb. 22), Maddie O'Reilly (March 1), Anne Rankin (March 8), Maddie O'Reilly (March 22), Maddie O'Reilly (March 29), Sofie Pontré (April 12), Erin Neustrom (April 26), Libby Alsemgeest (May 17)
Defensive Player of the Week: Heidi Ritner (Feb. 22), Heidi Ritner (March 1), Emily Ritner (March 15), Alex Brown (March 22), Sofie Pontré (March 29), Heidi Ritner (April 12), Alex Brown (April 26), Sophie Jackson (April 26), Heidi Ritner (April 26), Erin Neustrom (May 17)
Rookie of the Week: Libby Alsemgeest (Feb. 22), Kata Utassy (March 1), Libby Alsemgeest (March 22), Libby Alsemgeest (March 29), Libby Alsemgeest (May 17)
Academic All-Big Ten
Ella Abbott, So., Business Administration
Alex Brown, So., Psychology
Grace Harbaugh, So., History of Art
Jess Henningsen, So., LSA Undeclared
Sophie Jackson, Jr., Architecture
Abby May, So., Movement Science
Ava Morrant, Jr., Communication and Media
Erin Neustrom, Jr., Sport Management
Maddie O'Reilly, Sr., Sport Management
Sofie Pontré, Sr., Philosophy
Anne Rankin, So., LSA Undeclared
Emily Ritner, Sr., Psychology
Heidi Ritner, Gr., Master of Management
Isabelle Rocco, Jr., Chemical Science
Kathy Rogers, Sr., Public Health
Sophie Tovani, So., Communication and Media
Michigan
Most Valuable Offensive Player: Maddie O'Reilly
Most Valuable Defensive Player: Heidi Ritner and Emily Ritner
Coaches Award: Sofie Pontré
Wolverine Award: Erin Neustrom
Maize & Blue Award: Kathy Rogers
Most Improved Player: Anne Rankin
Rookie of the Year: Libby Alsemgeest
