LEBANON, Ill. - The Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) has revealed their weekly winners for September 25th, 2024, with fifth-year goalkeeper Jimmy Cronin (Naperville, Ill.) collecting Defensive Player of the Week.
This is the second time the WWPA has honored Cronin with this honor, as he won it three days after this day last year. The Defensive Player of the Week marks the third overall of such an accolade, which he won also the year prior on September 21st, 2022, as part of the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC).
Despite going 0-2 in the regulated matchups this past weekend at the Bucknell Invitational, the veteran man in the cage was firm against some tough competition. With both two games held on Saturday, September 21st, McKendree opened up against the Sharks of Long Island University where Cronin saved the ball 12 times to the 14 goals allowed, giving him a 46.2 save percentage. The next game late in the evening, he stayed in the double digits, racking up 10 saves to the 17 goals made by the host, Bucknell University (37.0 save percentage). Cronin also played solid in the exhibition win over Saddleback College on Sunday, September 22nd as well.
"Jimmy has been the backbone of our defense from day one," said Head Coach Colleen Lischwe. "His level of play continues to elevate, and he brings his team with him every step of the way. We are excited to see where this year takes him and his Bearcat teammates."
As of today, Cronin is placed very well on the WWPA leaderboards, as he is first in saves-per-game (10.3), second in steals-per-game (1.7), third in total saves (62), and fourth in save percentage (38.8%).
UP NEXT
McKendree will take a break next weekend and will return to the waters on Thursday, October 3rd at Westcliff University at 10:30 AM PDT before participating in the Gary Troyer Tournament that weekend – Hosted by the Pomona-Pitzer Colleges in various locations in California.
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