Season Review: 2024 Michigan Water Polo

• Team Captains: Alex Brown, Lola Ciruli, Elise Walker
• Record: 21-11, 7-2 Collegiate Water Polo Association
• CWPA Championship: 2nd

The University of Michigan water polo team took another step forward under the direction of second-year head coach Cassie Churnside, tallying multiple top-10 wins during the regular season and coming within one goal of a CWPA Championship title. On an individual level, five Wolverines landed on a CWPA All-Conference team highlighted by Libby Alsemgeest and Kata Utassy earning first-team honors. The duo also garnered national recognition as members of the Peter J. Cutino Watchlist and ACWPC All-America honorable mentions.

Team Highlights

• U-M got the home portion of its 2024 season off to a strong start at the Wolverine Invitational, winning all four games inside Canham Natatorium highlighted by a win over then-No. 22 LIU by a score of 14-9. Michigan knocked off its remaining three opponents by a minimum of 10 goals.

• Michigan secured its biggest win of the regular season by defeating No. 6 UC Irvine 13-12 at the Triton Invitational on Feb. 3 in La Jolla, Calif. Utassy shined on offense with six points (three goals, three assists). Lola Ciruli notched one goal and three assists while Kaia Levenfeld and Sammi Monroe each tallied a hat trick to power the Maize and Blue to a signature win.

• The Wolverines tallied its second top-10 victory of 2024 against No. 7-ranked Arizona State 9-8 on Feb. 25 in Irvine, Calif. Alison Lock scored three goals while Utassy notched four points with two goals and two assists. Alex Brown was solid in goal with 11 saves and only eight goals allowed in the hard-fought win.

• U-M reached the CWPA Championship final with a dominant 12-7 win over No. 19 Harvard on April 27 at Blodgett Pool in Cambridge, Mass. Utassy was true to form with three goals and one assist while Lock dished out three assists. Sammi Monroe was key to the Michigan triumph with three points (two goals, one assist).

Individual Highlights

• Senior Utassy was dominant in her final season in Ann Arbor, notching 104 points with a team-high 66 goals and 38 assists. Utassy scored three goals or more in 12 games and scored on more than half of her shot attempts. For her efforts, Utassy earned CWPA All-Conference and CWPA All-Tournament first team honors. On the national level, Utassy was recognized on the Peter J. Cutino Award Midseason Watchlist as one of the top 20 women's water polo players in the country and as an ACWPC All-America honorable mention.

• Fellow senior Alsemgeest made her presence felt in the middle of the pool for Michigan. The center broke her own school record for exclusions drawn in a single season with 112 drawn ejections in 29 games. Alsemgeest did her part at attack with 33 goals and six assists for a total of 39 points. Like Utassy, Alsemgeest earned her way onto the CWPA All-Conference and All-Tournament first teams along with the Cutino Watchlist and the ACWPC All-America team as an honorable mention.

• Graduate student Brown was a defensive anchor for the Maize and Blue in her final season in net. In 30 starts, she tallied 283 saves and 19 wins. Brown notched double-digit saves in 18 games, including a stretch of seven starts in a row. Brown also became the third player in program history with 900 career saves. She was named to the CWPA All-Conference second team and was a member of the All-Tournament second team for her efforts in the conference championship.

• Emma Gustafsson made her mark in her first season at Michigan, scoring 42 goals and dishing out 30 assists; both marks ranked second on the team behind Utassy. The freshman took over multiple games for the Maize and Blue, highlighted by an eight-point barrage against Bucknell on April 5. Gustafsson had nine other games in which she notched three or more points. She was recognized as CWPA Rookie of the Week on three occasions and CWPA Player of the Week on March 27.

Honors and Awards

Libby
Alsemgeest

Alex
Brown

Lola
Ciruli

Kata
Utassy

Elise
Walker

CWPA
All-CWPA (First Team): Libby Alsemgeest, Kata Utassy
All-CWPA (Second Team): Alex Brown, Lola Ciruli, Elise Walker
All-Tournament (First Team): Libby Alsemgeest, Kata Utassy
All-Tournament (Second Team): Alex Brown
All-Tournament (Honorable Mention): Elise Walker
Player of the Week: Kata Utassy (Jan. 22, Feb. 29), Emma Gustafsson (March 27)
Defensive Player of the Week: Alex Brown (Jan. 22, Jan. 31,)
Rookie of the Week: Emma Gustafsson (Jan. 22, Feb. 21, April 8), Jillian Schlom (Jan. 31)

ACWPC
All-America (Honorable Mention): Libby Alsemgeest, Kata Utassy

CSC
Academic All-District: Kata Utassy

Academic All-Big Ten
Libby Alsemgeest, Sr., Applied Exercise Science BS
Madie Ambrose, So., Education Elementary ABEd
Riley Chapple, So., Communication and Media BA
Lola Ciruli, Sr., Communication and Media BA, Business Admin Minor
Claire Eusey, So., Congitive Science BS
Brooke Ingram, So., Sport Management BA, Real Estate Development Minor
Issy Jackson, So., Sport Management BA
Alison Lock, Sr., Neuroscience BS, Business Admin Minor
Sammi Monroe, Sr., Sport Management BA
Ashley O'Neill, Jr., Neuroscience BS
Kasey Umlauf, Sr., Neuroscience BS, Philosophy Minor BS
Kata Utassy, Sr., Communication and Media BA and Psychology BA
Grace Walsh, So., English BA
Fiona Young, Jr., Biology, Health, and Society BS

Big Ten Distinguished Scholar
Libby Alsemgeest, Sr., Applied Exercise Science BS
Alison Lock, Sr., Neuroscience BS, Minor Business Admin BS
Kasey Umlauf, Sr., Neuroscience BS, Minor Philosophy BS
Kata Utassy, Sr., Communication and Media BA, Psychology BA