2018 National State Challenge Program (PDF)
CHICAGO, Ill. — American Water Polo is hosting the 2018 National State Challenge featuring Boys’ 18U and Girls’ 18U competition at Lyons Township Pool and Fenwick High School near Chicago.
18U BOYS
Palos Orland Puts Away New Trier, 13-7, in Bracket E Match-Up on Second Day of 2018 National State Challenge
WESTERN SPRINGS, Ill. — Mike Rzeszowicz scored five times and Sean Harlin tacked on four more as Palos Orland topped New Trier, 13-7, in an 18U Boys’ Bracket E match-up at Lyons Township Pool in the final game on Day Two of the National State Challenge.
Palos Orland never trailed in the game as the squad opened up a 3-0 lead by the conclusion of the first quarter prior to entering halftime with a considerable 6-1 scoreboard margin.
The lead continued to balloon in the third quarter as a 4-0 push by Palos Orland inflated the spread to 10-1 going into the fourth quarter. New Trier chipped away at the lead by turning a nine-goal deficit at the opening sprint of the final quarter into a six-score loss at 13-7.
For Palos Orland, Eddie Howaniec and James Jenkot both tacked on pairs of goals to account for the remainder of the goals not buried by either Rzeszowicz or Harlin.
Peter Caldwell keyed New Trier with a hat-trick, while the quartet of Thomas Chookaszian, William Clark, Kim Youngwon and Danny Zhukov each contributed single markers.
Saint Charles Rallies for 12-11 Victory Over Cincy Marlins in Bracket E Clash on Second Day of 2018 National State Challenge
WESTERN SPRINGS, Ill. — Alex Filipovic and Siba Filipovic scored with 2:29 and 17 seconds left in the fourth quarter to cap off an improbable comeback by Saint Charles to claim a 12-11 defeat of the Cincy Marlins in Boys’ 18U Bracket E play at Lyons Township Pool on the second day of the 2018 National State Challenge.
Competing in the opening game of Bracket E with New Trier and Palos Orland slated to go to war in the final game of the evening immediately following the showdown of Saint Charles and the Cincy Marlins, neither team was able to pull away from the other in a classic struggle.
Knotted at three-all after one quarter and with the Marlins clinging to a 6-5 lead by halftime, Saint Charles fell behind by a pair for the first time at 7-5 with 6:34 remaining in the third quarter. Needing some offense to prevent the Cincy Marlins from being to pull away, Saint Charles received its wish as back-to-back strikes evened the damage at seven-all prior to Cincy pushing ahead 8-7. Following another equalizer to make it eight-all, the Marlins appeared poised to commence one final push as the squad reacquired the lead at 9-8 going into the fourth quarter.
Down by a 10-8 spread with 6:24 to play in regulation, Saint Charles tried to rally back as a goal by Siba Filipovic made it 10-9 with 5:47 on the clock. Another Marlins’ strike returned the lead to a pair at 11-9 and set the stage for Saint Charles push to victory.
Down by a pair with 4:13 on the clock, the squad squeezed out a miraculous victory as Hunter Kos-Dondling rifled in a shot at 3:13 to make it 11-10 prior to Alec Filipovic floating in the equalizer at 2:29 to deadlock the programs at 11-all.
Siba Filipovic capped off the rally by uncorking the deciding goal with 17 ticks on the scoreboard for the knockout blow and a 12-11 victory.
Siba Filipovic (eight) and Alec Filipovic (two) combined for 10 of Saint Charles’ goals, while Landon Hollman and Kos-Dondling each found the twine once.
Across the tank, Keegan Graham and Kirk Karbowsky both notched hat-tricks with Matthew Marks flushing a pair for the Marlins. Ben Fribourg, John Alvord and Porter Bausch each hit the back of the twine once.
Chicago Parks District Green Fights LAW; LAW Wins by 10-8 Score in Bracket F Competition on Second Day of 2018 National State Challenge
WESTERN SPRINGS, Ill. — Adam Hudson scored six times to lead the way as LAW stymied Chicago Parks District Green, 10-8, in Boys’ 18U Bracket F play at Lyons Township Pool on the second day of the 2018 National State Challenge.
Competing in a four team bracket with Vulture and Windy City to establish berths in the First, Third, Fifth and Seventh Place games, the two teams kept their showdown close for most of the clash.
LAW never trailed in the game as the team opened up a 2-0 lead and held a 3-1 margin at the conclusion of the opening quarter of play. Out in front by a pair at 5-3 by halftime, LAW kept its lead at the pair after three quarters of action by carrying a 6-4 lead into the final frame.
However, Chicago Parks Green evened up the damage at six-all with 5:04 left on the clock to rate as the equals of LAW for the first time since the squads were scoreless in the dawning moments of the contest. Facing the possibility of Chicago Parks Green completing the comeback, LAW received strikes at the 4:29 and 3:40 marks to push ahead 8-6. Chicago Parks Green chipped one tally off the margin to move within 8-7, but back-to-back coffin nails by Hudson with 1:56 and 1:18 on the clock expanded the gap to 10-7 on the way to a 10-8 victory.
Windy City Grounds Vulture, 15-10, in Bracket F Competition on Second Day of 2018 National State Challenge
WESTERN SPRINGS, Ill. — Michael Feeley scored six times to key Windy City to a 15-10 defeat of Vulture in Boys’ 18U Bracket F play at Lyons Township Pool on the second day of the 2018 National State Challenge.
Competing to seed Bracket F for the First, Third, Fifth and Seventh Place games, Windy City fell behind 1-0 early in the first quarter against Vulture. However, the eventual victors pulled even and went ahead to stay prior to the final seconds of the opening frame to snag a 2-1 lead.
Leading 4-1 midway through the second quarter, Windy City saw its lead dwindle down to a five-all tie with 40 seconds left in the first half. Once again, however, Windy City picked up the pace and pounded in a pair of strikes with 25 seconds left at the the first half’s concluding horn to enter the break with a 7-5 lead.
The margin swayed down to one at 9-8 in the third quarter, but a pair of strikes in the waning seconds of the frame permitted Windy City to go into the fourth quarter carrying an 11-8 margin.
Windy City made its three goal advantage stand up as the team saw its lead shrink to a pair at 11-9 before enlarging the gap to five at 14-9 and finally 15-10 prior to the concluding horn.
Payton Comstock chipped in a hat-trick with three goals for Windy City, while Wil Gurski, Alex Figus and Nate Fisher each deposited pairs of strikes.
Vulture received five goals by Bender Russo to go along with a pair by Sean Stablein and solo markers from Luke Klein-Collins, Jonah Klein-Collins and Henry Mills.
Bluff City Stops New Trier, 16-6, to Clinch First Place in Boys’ 18U Bracket C on Second Day of 2018 National State Challenge
WESTERN SPRINGS, Ill. — Keyed by goals from eight players – including hat-tricks by Nobel McMasters and Drew Champion – Bluff City finished first in the Boys’ 18U Bracket C as the squad used a 10-3 scoring advantage in the second half to stymie New Trier, 16-6, at the Lyons Township Pool on the second day of the 2018 National State Challenge.
Although never trailing, Bluff City struggled to get its offense in gear early on as the team pulled ahead by counts of 1-0 and 2-1 by the 5:55 mark of the first quarter prior to pushing its advantage to 4-2 prior to the concluding horn of the opening frame. A 2-1 advantage in the scoring column during the second quarter helped build the lead to 6-3 prior to halftime. However, Bluff City’s offense started hitting on all-cylinders in the third quarter as the team outscored New Trier 8-1 to go ahead 14-4 and put the game out of reach. Both teams hit the twine twice in the fourth quarter to keep the final spread at 10.
Courtesy the win, Bluff City – which previously topped Lyons by a 7-6 count on the evening of Thursday, July 12, during the first day of the national championship event – finishes first in Bracket C and earns a spot in Bracket G for the remainder of the tournament.
The team, which will compete against Bracket D Champion Chicago Parks District White and Bracket D runner-up Pittsburgh on Saturday, July 14, to determine berths in either the First, Third, Fifth or Seventh Place games, will next be in action at 9:00 a.m. Central at Fenwick High School against Chicago Parks White on July 14.
Due to the defeat combined with a prior 14-1 loss to Lyons on Friday, July 12, New Trier finishes Third In Bracket C and will play against Bracket A Third Place finisher Saint Charles, Bracket B Third Place finisher Cincy Marlins and Bracket D Third Place finisher Palos Orland in a round-robin format to determine places ninth, 10, 11 and 12.
New Trier will start its round robin circuit at 8:00 p.m. this evening against Palos Orland.
Chicago Parks White Cages Pittsburgh Tigers, 13-5, to Lock-Up Boys’ 18U Bracket D Title on Second Day of 2018 National State Challenge
WESTERN SPRINGS, Ill. — Trailing 2-0 in the early going, Chicago Parks White rallied back to snag a 5-3 halftime lead on the way to a 13-5 defeat of the Pittsburgh Tigers on the second day of Boys’ 18U competition at the 2018 National State Challenge in Lyons Township Pool.
Courtesy the win combined with a 12-2 victory over Palos Orland from Thursday, July 12, Chicago Parks White clinches the Bracket D crown and earns a spot in Bracket G for the next rounds of the National Championship tournament. Chicago Parks White will next be in action at 9:00 a.m. Central on Saturday, July 14, versus Lyons prior to meeting an opponent to be decided at 4:00 p.m. with a berth in either the First, Third, Fifth or Seventh Place games on the line.
Led by a trio of scores from Sebastian Perez, Chicago Parks White outscored Pittsburgh by an 11-3 count over the final three quarters of action to clinch an eight-goal victory.
For Pittsburgh, Max Moore and Nick Eck both notched pairs of scores.
Due to the loss, Pittsburgh finishes second in Bracket D and advances with Chicago Parks White into Bracket G. The team will next be in action at 10:00 a.m. Central on Saturday, July 14, against an opponent not yet determined. Pittsburgh will then take on Lyons at 3:00 p.m. Chicago Parks White and Pittsburgh will not play again in the bracket as their first meeting will be calculated into the win-loss record to see which teams advances to the First, Third, Fifth or Seventh Place games.
Vulture Flies Past Saint Charles, 15-7, to Claim Bracket A Crown in Boys’ 18U Action at 2018 National State Challenge
WESTERN SPRINGS, Ill. — Competing at Lyons Township Pool on the second day of the 2018 National State Challenge, Vulture finished off its Bracket A competition by pecking away at Saint Charles for a 15-7 win in Boys’ 18U action.
Vulture – which turned back Chicago Parks Green by a 16-5 final score on Thursday, July 12, at Lyons, claims the Bracket A title and punches the program’s ticket to a 5:00 p.m. Central clash later today at Lyons against Bracket B Champion Windy City. Following that game, Vulture will take on LAW at 11:00 a.m. Central on Saturday, July 14, at Fenwick High School. The team’s record against Windy City, LAW and defeat of Chicago Parks Green will determine which placement game the squad falls into (First, Third, Fifth, Seventh) on Sunday, July 15, at Fenwick.
Following a tight first quarter of play which saw Vulture acquire a 2-0 lead, lose it, go back ahead 4-2 and need to survive a resurgent Saint Charles to escape the opening frame with a 5-3 lead, the eventual victors began to pull away just before halftime.
Thanks to a 3-0 scoring outburst and a 5-1 advantage on the scoreboard in the third quarter, Vulture entered the fourth quarter with a commanding 13-4 lead and coasted the rest of the way to victory.
Isaac Noren led the way for Vulture with a hat-trick as 10 different players found the back of the cage. Luke Klein-Collins, Owen Codo and Patrick Kimberley each chipped in pairs of markers, while Sean Stablein, Bender Russo, Jonah Klein-Collins, Henry Miler, Liam Bleuher and Matt Simon notched solo strikes.
Siba Filipovic keyed Saint Charles’ attack with four goals, while Ethan Kos-Dondlinger and Albert Buvary each registered single scores.
Windy City Manages Cincy Marlins, 18-6, to Commence 18U Boys’ Play on Second Day of 2018 National State Challenge
OAK PARK, Ill. — Michael Feeley fired six goals into the cage to power Windy City to a convincing 18-6 victory over the Cincy Marlins at Fenwick High School in the first Boys’ 18U game on Day 2 of the 2018 National State Challenge.
Windy City, which finishes 2-0 in Bracket B play after previously defeating LAW by a 12-11 score on Thursday, July 12, clinches the No. 3 position in Bracket F for the tournament and will next be in action at 5:00 p.m. Central against the first place finisher from Bracket A.
The homestanding Windy City squad never trailed in the game as the team jumped out to a 2-0 lead prior to the Marlins getting on the board. Leading 5-1 at the conclusion of the first quarter, Windy City pushed the margin out to 12-2 by halftime and carried a 16-4 lead into the fourth quarter.
Pete Buinauskas tacked on five goals for Windy City with Payton Comstock sticking in three more.
Ben Fribourg and Matthew Marks led the way for the Marlins with two goals with John Alvord and Porter Bausch both finding the back of the cage once.
18U GIRLS
Red Hawks Bypass Bluff City, 10-6, on Second Day at 2018 National State Challenge
OAK PARK, Ill. — Red Hawks wasted little time in putting Bluff City in a hole from which the squad was unable to climb out by opening up a 5-0 lead and rolling to a 10-6 win in Girls’ 18U competition at Fenwick High School on the second day of the 2018 National State Challenge.
Leading 1-0 after the first quarter of action, the Red Hawks ticked off back-to-back-to-back-to-back goals to start the second frame and snag a 5-0 lead. Bluff City chipped the margin down to 5-2 prior to halftime, but the Red Hawks enlarged the gap to 8-4 prior to entering the fourth quarter of action. Bluff City was unable to pull any closer than three (8-5, 9-6) the rest of the way in falling by a 10-6 final score.
Emma Guccione led the way for the Red Hawks with four goals, while Maggie Toennis deposited a pair. Jenny Desch, Giana LaPerna, Sophia Blueher and Jodie Nelson each slipped in solo strikes.
Due to the win, Red Hawks finishes 1-1 in Bracket M – a 16-8 loss to NIPC the lone blight on the mark – to earn a spot in Bracket N with Windy City, Pittsburgh and NIPC as the squad can finish no worse than Eighth in the final 11-team tournament standings.
Bluff City received a hat-trick with three goals from JoJo DeSalvo to accompany a pair of tallies by Sarah Straub and a single score from Megan Mathers.
The loss drops Bluff City’s record to 0-3 in Bracket M action following an earlier 18-3 defeat at the hands of bracket champion NIPC. Courtesy the 0-3 mark to finish third in Bracket M, Bluff City falls into Bracket P and will compete in a round-robin series with Chicago Water Polo Club and the Fifth Place finisher from Bracket K to determine Ninth-to-11th Place in the final 11-team tournament standings.
Greenwich Aquatics Manages Saint Charles, 17-1, to Remain Perfect on Second Day at 2018 National State Challenge
OAK PARK, Ill. — Greenwich Aquatics raced out to an 8-0 lead by the conclusion of the first quarter and never looked back in stopping Saint Charles, 17-1, at Fenwick High School to remain perfect in Bracket K Girls’ 18U competition on Day 2 of the 2018 National State Challenge.
Leading 13-1 by halftime, Greenwich coasted the rest of the way by putting up pairs of goals in the third and fourth quarters for the 16-score victory.
The win improves Greenwich to 2-0 in Bracket K play following an earlier 12-7 defeat of the Chicago Parks District team. Greenwich is on pace to capture the Bracket K crown as the squad rates as the only undefeated team in the bracket compared to Chicago Parks District (2-1), LAW (0-3), New Trier (2-1) and Saint Charles (1-2). The remainder of the bracket’s competition is penciled in to occur at Lyons Township Pool on Saturday, July 14, to establish the seeding for the First, Third, Fifth and Seventh Place games on Sunday, July 15.
New Trier Bends LAW, 14-6, in 18U Girls’ Bracket K Play on Second Day at 2018 National State Challenge
OAK PARK, Ill. — New Trier overcame a resurgent LAW to pick up a 14-6 victory in Girls’ 18U Bracket K play at Fenwick High School on the second day of the 2018 National State Challenge.
Leading 2-0 after the first quarter of play, New Trier saw their lead erased by the 4:27 mark of the second quarter. However, the team rattled off three unanswered goals to acquire a 5-2 lead by halftime and pumped in four more in the third quarter to grab a 9-4 lead going into the fourth quarter. The margin continued to expand over the final minutes of the contest as New Trier outscored LAW by a 5-2 count in the waning moments of the game for the 14-6 final score.
The win improves New Trier to 2-1 in Bracket K play following previous clashes with the Chicago Parks District (11-6 L) and Saint Charles (15-3 W) with a match against Greenwich Aquatics on the horizon at 2:00 p.m. Central on Saturday, July 14. Greenwich is the only team still undefeated in Bracket K at 1-0 as Chicago Parks District stands at 2-1 currently, LAW (7-5 L vs. Saint Charles; 17-3 L vs. Chicago Parks District) rates at 0-3 and Saint Charles is 1-1 to date.
LAW also has one game remaining as the squad will battle Greenwich at 9:00 a.m. Central on Saturday, July 14, aiming to acquire the program’s first victory of the weekend.
Pittsburgh AQ Takes Out Chicago Water Polo Club, 13-2, in 18U Girls’ Play on Second Day at 2018 National State Challenge
OAK PARK, Ill. —Sarah Koehler scored six times and the duo of Ryley McClellan and Julia Sheahan each deposited hat-tricks to combine for 12 of their team’s goals in a 13-2 defeat of the Chicago Water Polo Club in Girls’ 18U competition at Fenwick High School on the second day of the 2018 National State Challenge.
Pittsburgh never trailed in the game thanks to opening up leads of 4-0 and 7-0 by the concluding horns of the first and second quarters, respectively. Locked at 12-2 after three quarters of action, the teams traded final barbs down the stretch for the 13-2 finale.
Only four players scored for Pittsburgh in the game as Beverly Dempsey dumped in a solo goal with 5:39 left in the first quarter to stake her team to a quick 1-0 lead. Koehler, McClellan and Sheahan took it from there for the 11-goal victory.
Sophia Visconti and Bella McGowan accounted for the Chicago Water Polo Club’s pair of markers.
Due to the loss – combined with an earlier 24-7 defeat by Windy City – the Chicago Water Polo Club finishes 0-2 in Bracket L and take the second position in Bracket P for placement as either Ninth, 10th or 11th in the final 11-team tournament standings. The team will next be in action at 1:00 p.m. Central on Saturday, July 14, against the Third Place finisher from Bracket M prior to meeting the Fifth Place finisher from Bracket K on Sunday, July 15, at 9:00 a.m. The results of those pair of games will determine the final order of finish.
For Pittsburgh, which finishes second in Bracket L after taking a 15-9 loss to Windy City earlier in the day – the team clinches a position in Bracket N. Pittsburgh will next be in action at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 14, against Bracket M champion NIPC prior to taking on the runner-up from Bracket M at 3:00 p.m. as the team is guaranteed to play for either First, Third, Fifth or Seventh in the final tournament standings.
Greenwich Aquatics Gets Around Chicago Parks District, 12-7, in 18U Girls’ Second Day Showdown at 2018 National State Challenge
OAK PARK, Ill. — Greenwich Aquatics received five goals from Jordan Rogers and four more by Jenna Handali as the squad captured a 12-7 victory over Chicago Parks District in Girls’ 18U action at Fenwick High School on the second day of the 2018 National State Challenge.
Greenwich never trailed in the game by opening up a 2-0 lead by the conclusion of the first quarter and holding a narrow 5-4 advantage on the scoreboard by halftime. The team began to pull away in the third quarter as three consecutive strikes pushed the gap to 8-4 prior to Chicago Parks District rallying back to pull within 8-6 going into the fourth quarter.
However, the comeback was not to be for Chicago Parks District as back-to-back goals by Handali with 6:41 and 5:40 left in the final frame served as coffin nails by pushing the lead to 10-6. Following a tally by Chicago Parks District to inch with three at 10-7, Rogers (2:11) and Tyler Fox (38 seconds) hammered in some insurance down the stretch for the 12-7 final score.
Fox, Kaitlin Ganshaw and Isabella Lippolis each drilled in solo strikes for Greenwich.
On the other end of the tank, Becky Schofield was a one-woman wrecking crew for Chicago Parks District as she punched in a game-high six markers. Hannah Engquist chipped in the remaining goal.
NIPC Bests Bluff City, 18-3, to Capture Bracket M Title in 18U Girls’ Competition on Second Day of 2018 National State Challenge
OAK PARK, Ill. — Lauren Maloney connected on six goals and Eleanor Michaud slipped in four more to lead the way as NIPC built leads of 4-0 and 7-0 by the conclusion of the first and second quarters in rolling to an 18-3 victory over Bluff City in Girls’ 18U action at Fenwick High School during the second day of the 2018 National State Challenge.
NIPC was never threatened in the game as the squad jumped in front by an 11-0 score with 3:09 left in the third quarter before Bluff City responded to inch back within 10.
Leading 13-1 after three quarters of action, NIPC continued to put the game out of reach by hitting the twine five more times in the fourth quarter and permitting a pair for the 18-3 final score.
For NIPC, Maria Massakowski, Shreya Sredhar and Valerie Zlotnikova each tacked on pairs of markers to accompany solo strikes by Anne Baldino and Anna Gates.
Due to the victory, NIPC – which previously topped Red Hawks by a 16-8 count on Thursday, July 12 – captures the tournament’s Bracket M title and punches its ticket to an 11:00 a.m. Central showdown on Saturday, July 14, with the second place finisher from Bracket L. NIPC will then return to the water at 4:00 p.m. Central to square-off with Windy City – the Bracket L champion – as the first and second place finishers in Brackets L and M now make up a new Bracket – N – to determine which teams make up one half of the First, Third, Fifth and Seventh place games.
Megan Mathers, Gabby Seitz and Josie Raines accounted for Bluff City’s scoring with single goals.
Windy City Puts Away Pittsburgh Tigers, 15-9, in 18U Girls’ Action on Second Day of 2018 National State Challenge
OAK PARK, Ill. — Paulina Correa scored seven times and Harper Daniels tacked on a hat-trick as Windy City turned back the Pittsburgh Tigers, 15-9, on the second day of Girls’ 18U competition at the 2018 National State Challenge.
Competing at Fenwick High School, Windy City wasted little time in defending its home territory by running out to leads of 3-1 and 5-2 by the conclusion of the opening two quarters to go in front to stay. Following a 3-2 scoring advantage in the third quarter to push the margin to 8-4, Windy City blew away Pittsburgh in the fourth quarter by outscoring their foe 7-5.
For Windy City, Alyssa Sayatovic chipped in a pair of markers, while Tegwyn Hollandbach, Kassy Rodriguez and Xonhane Medina each found the back of the cage once.
Due to the win, Windy City claims the Bracket L title after previously topping Chicago Water Polo Club (24-7 W) and will next be in action at 10:00 a.m. Central on Saturday, July 14, versus the second place finisher from Bracket M.
On the other side of the tank, Sarah Koehler netted five scores with Emma Halle depositing a pair. Ryley McClellan and Julia Sheahan each put away solo strikes in the effort for Pittsburgh.
Chicago Parks District Breaks LAW, 17-3, on Second Day of 2018 National State Challenge 18U Girls’ Competition
OAK PARK, Ill. — Goalie Alex Magana made six saves and the duo of Julia McKinney and Jasmin Guzman both netted hat-tricks as Chicago Parks District rolled to a 17-3 defeat of LAW in Girls’ 18U action at Fenwick High School on the second day of the 2018 National State Challenge.
Chicago Parks District never trailed in running out to a 3-0 lead prior to exiting the opening quarter of play with a 7-2 advantage on the scoreboard. Leading 8-3 at halftime, Chicago Parks coasted the rest of the way to hold an 11-3 lead by the conclusion of the third quarter on the way to the 17-3 final score.
New Trier Stops Saint Charles, 15-3, in 18U Girls’ Play on Second Day of 2018 National State Challenge
OAK PARK, Ill. — Emma Wendt scored six times and Jenna Mydlach added five more as New Trier topped Saint Charles, 15-3, to start the second day of Girls’ 18U competition at Fewick High School during the 2018 National State Challenge.
Leading 5-1 and 8-1 after the first and second quarters, New Trier continued to pull away in the second half by outscoring Saint Charles 4-1 in the third quarter and 3-1 in the fourth quarter.
