IRVINE, Calif. – The women's water polo team ended their 2026 campaign on a high note, after defeating their regional foe (2E) Gannon University 13-12 in the sixth-place game of the WWPA Championships tournament on Sunday, April 12th at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center in Irvine, California on the campus of Concordia University Irvine. 

Score: McKendree University 13, Gannon University 12 

Record: Bearcats 10-19, 1-3 WWPA | Golden Knights 9-12, 1-3 WWPA 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

After Gannon began the final match of the 2026 season with its first goal, junior attacker Shanelle Márquez (Madrid, Spain) gave the Bearcats their first of the day with a five-meter penalty shot and the senior attacker Joey Rebelo (Montreal, Québec, Canada) lofted the ball into the goal in a one-on-one transition with the Golden Knight goalie. 

Junior utility Hailey Munoz (Murrieta, Calif.) capped off an electric first quarter by rifling one inside while mostly underwater as the clock horn sounded to cut her squad's deficit to two at the end of the first period. 

That shot carried momentum into the second quarter of action as McKendree opened up with three straight to take a one-point lead after another feed to the center position, with this time being junior attacker Mikayla Brown (Concord, Calif.) on the score. The offensive prowess by the Bearcats continued after the Golden Knights halted the spurt with a goal to tie it up at six-all, as McKendree made it into a 7-1 run with three more consecutive goals, as junior attacker Emma Cramer (Brentwood, Calif.) gave her team another buzzer-beating shot from way outside to end the first half. Senior attacker Jazmine Sandoval (Westminster, Calif.) notched two goals within the run that led two minutes into the third period. 

A 3-1 response by Gannon cut the Bearcat lead to one, but Cramer came clutch once again and scored her seventh of the season straight on to hold a 11-9 lead by the end of the third quarter. 

Senior attacker Dylan Murphy (Carlsbad, Calif.) was able to up McKendree's lead to three to begin the final period of play. The Golden Knights tacked on two back-to-back goals with under three minutes remaining, but the leading scorer for the Bearcats in Bella Marquecho (Chicago, Ill.) made it fitting after a five-meter penalty was drawn by her teammate, junior center defender Ryenne Ayers (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho), to which Morquecho fired it pass the Gannon goalkeeper at the upper right to take back a two-point edge.  

A close-range center shot by Gannon made it a one-point game once again with 1:04 remaining, and with a chance to tie the game and send it into overtime, freshman goalkeeper Delaney Judkins (La Grange, Ill.) made a huge stopping save with several seconds left to clinch the game in favor of the Bearcats with a thrilling 13-12 victory. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

• Munoz led in scoring with three goals for her fourth hat-trick of the season and 12th of her career. 

• Sandoval, Murphy, and Cramer each tabbed two goals in the one-point win, plus a combined five assists amongst them, with Murphy credited for three of them. 

• Márquez, Rebelo, Brown, and Morquecho each had one goal in the final match of their season. 

• McKendree outshot Gannon 37-26. 

• The Bearcats edged the Golden Knights 3-1 on sprints. 

• McKendree has now picked up their eighth win ever in the WWPA Championships 

WWPA CHAMPIONSHIPS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM 

Senior attacker Jazmine Sandoval (Westminster, Calif.) was named to the WWPA All-Championship Second Team following the conclusion of the tournament. In the event, she totaled six goals, three assists, two steals, and one field block on 42.9% shooting.

UP NEXT 

This will conclude the 2026 season for McKendree University women's water polo. We would like to congratulate the team on a great season and give a big thank you to all those who followed all year long! 

The 2027 season schedule will be posted at the start of next spring, along with roster updates and other news within the next several months. 

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, X (Twitter), and Instagram. 
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