LEBANON, Ill. – The women's water polo team will look to conclude their regular season and conference action at the annual Salem Invitational this weekend on March 28th and 29th at The Bridge Sports Complex in Bridgeport, West Virginia. 

The Bearcats will first play Gannon University in a WWPA matchup at 8:00 AM CT, followed by Saint Francis University at 12:30 PM CT on day one of the event on Saturday, March 28th. For day two, McKendree will face the host Salem University at 8:00 AM CT and will round out with Mercyhurst University at 11:00 AM CT. 

All contests will be streamed for free live and on demand on the WWPA Network will be streamed for free live and on demand on the WWPA Network. 

SCOUTING THE LAST OUTINGS 

The team started off conference play in Pennsylvania two weekends ago as part of the WWPA Erie Classic, where they picked up three wins, while falling just short in for a fourth. 

McKendree started off day one on Saturday by falling to Salem University [13-15] before putting up the most goals since 2022 in a decisive 23-16 win over Penn State Behrend. They continued momentum into day two on Sunday, where they pulled away with their first WWPA victory of the season over the host Gannon University [14-12], and wrapped up the event with a win over Mercyhurst University [13-10]. 

MAKING WAVES 

Senior attacker Joey Rebelo (Montreal, Québec, Canada) led the offensive charge for the Bearcats with 11 goals and nine assists for 20 points to go with an abundance of eight steals, two drawn exclusions, and a field block while shooting 64.7% on the goal. Junior attacker Shanelle Márquez followed the production with 10 goals and three assists for 13 points, while also playing key defensively with seven takeaways, a pair of exclusions drawn and a field block on 50.0% shooting. Sophomore attacker Maisie Mattocks (Shutesbury, Mass.) came away with 10 points, consisting of eight goals scored and two assists. Junior center Bella Morquecho (Chicago, Ill.) drew 11 exclusions all together in the event with her seven goals and two dishes. Senior attacker Dylan Murphy (Carlsbad, Calif.) had 11 steals for her squad to go along with five points and a trio of kick-outs drawn. 

Time was split evenly between the two goalkeepers, as freshman Daisy Wetherholt (Malibu, Calif.) went 2-0 with 18 total saves and one steal on a 42.9 save percentage. The other freshman, Delaney Judkins (La Grange, Ill.) went 1-1 in the remaining contests and picked up 21 saves and a steal on a 43.8 save percentage. 

THE YOUNGBLOOD 

With her performance in the WWPA Erie Classic, the WWPA announced on March 18th that freshman goalkeeper Delaney Judkins (La Grange, Ill.) earned the Defensive Player of the Week honor. Judkins was the Bearcats' GK1 for their two conference matches against Salem University and Gannon University, where she split with a 1-1 record. She totaled 21 saves on a 43.8 save percentage, plus a steal in the two matches played for 64:00 total minutes. 

"Having two freshman goalies that split time means their stats are basically cut in half, so seeing one of our outstanding goalies getting some well-deserved recognition is really awesome, " said Graduate Assistant Coach Sydney Kane. "Delaney works hard 24/7 and deserves every achievement that is coming her way. She truly has so much potential, and we are very excited to see her perform in the conference games coming up and these next four years for us."  

This is the first athletic honor from the La Grange product at McKendree. It is also the sixth defensive-specific recognition by the WWPA for the program, as Kane obtained all five previous. This also marks the 20th time that the women's water polo club has earned the weekly award from the conference since joining back in 2018. 

TEAM TOPPERS 

LOOKING AHEAD 

After McKendree ends their time at the Salem Invitational, they will take a week off to prepare for the upcoming WWPA Championships, which will be held at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center on the campus of Concordia University Irvine from April 10th to 12th in Irvine, California. 

All games in the tournament will be streamed for free live and on demand on the WWPA Network. Live stats will be provided to the public for all four games via The FOSH. Tickets can be purchased HERE or at cuigoldeneagles.com. 

Matchups for the postseason event will be announced later after all WWPA conference contests have been played. The winner of the championships will earn an automatic bid into the National Collegiate Water Polo Championships in La Jolla, California from April 22nd-26th at the Canyonview Aquatic Center 

TUNE IN-FO 

Make sure to keep up with McKendree University Water Polo on Instagram, X (Twitter), and TikTok. #NCAAwaterpolo 

For more updates and information on Bearcat Athletics, please continue to visit McKBearcats.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 
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