Scouting DuPage County girls water polo
Top individuals
Caitlin Connor (Hinsdale Central, Jr., GK/driver), Tyler Crittenden (Waubonsie Valley, Sr., driver), Claire Fleming (Naperville Central, So., driver/2M-D), Erin Gibson (Naperville North, Sr., utility), Kelly Gibson (Naperville North, Sr., GK), Amanda Graveline (Hinsdale Central, Sr., driver), Bailey Gucinski (Waubonsie Valley, Sr., 2M-D), Brittany Jadwin (Neuqua Valley, Sr., driver), Sabina Kastinova (Waubonsie Valley, Jr., driver), Sarah Kerfoot (Naperville North, Sr., 2M-D), Nancy Leech (Neuqua Valley, Sr., driver), Megan McWhirter (Waubonsie Valley, Jr., GK), Jeannette Nolte (Neuqua Valley, Jr., driver), Brianne O'Doherty (Hinsdale Central, Sr., driver), Kathleen Patterson (Neuqua Valley, Sr., driver), Mary Kate Pfister (Naperville North, Sr., utility), Chelsea Reczek (Neuqua Valley, Sr., driver/hole set), Sam Shamburek (Naperville Central, Sr., driver), Allison Szott (Waubonsie Valley, Sr., utility/hole set), Sam Virella (Naperville Central, So., GK), Kara Wilson (Naperville Central, Sr., driver), Emily Wooten (Naperville Central, Jr., driver).
Top tournaments
Naperville Central, March 7-8; Naperville Central, March 15; Lyons Twp., March 22; Fenwick, March 28-29; St. Charles North, April 5; Latin, April 12; York, April 12; St. Ignatius, April 19; Latin, April 26; Lyons, May 2-3; Stevenson, May 3.
Outlook
Naperville Central and Neuqua Valley are the preseason picks to lead the pack of girls water polo teams in DuPage County this season. The Redhawks are No. 5 in the preseason rankings done by illpolo.com, while the Wildcats sit at No. 7.
Redhawks senior Wilson set a program record for goals Tuesday when she netted No. 214 against Marian Catholic, and she'll headline the squad this year.
"Any time you've got a hundred-goal scorer back, it's going to make you feel good going into a season," said Redhawks coach Jeff Plackett, who will also look to Fleming, Wooten and Shamburek to make up for the loss to graduation of high-scoring Nikki Nelson. "Shamburek gets lost sometimes because she doesn't play in front of the net, but she's just a good little player," he said.
Neuqua Valley will look to a pair of the area's top players in driver Patterson and driver/hole set Reczek for offense, Nolte will figure prominently, and first-year Wildcats coach Len DePasquale also expects big things from Jadwin, Jenn Rinehart and Leech this season. The Wildcats are a team full of versatile players that will see time everywhere in the water, and a strong core of sophomores is vying hard for playing time.
"These girls have heart, and they're willing to work hard," said DePasquale, who points to the Redhawks as the Wildcats' main competition come sectional time.
First-year Waubonsie Valley coach Diana Mehl will rely on experienced senior Gucinski to defend the hole, bring leadership and put some balls on frame. "We're a fast team, and we'll rely on our swimming ability this year," Mehl said. "We also have a lot of depth on this team, and hopefully we'll be a pretty hard team to beat." The Warriors are ranked No. 17 at illpolo.com. Seniors Szott and Crittenden and junior Kastinova will aim to provide offense, and Mehl will count on Megan McWhirter -- daughter of Naperville North coach Andy McWhirter -- to hold down the fort in net.
Andy McWhirter had an inexperienced core of young players last year and sees a step forward for this year's crew. "We should have one of the better teams we've had in the last few years," McWhirter said. The Huskies are led by a pair of senior utility players in Erin Gibson and Pfister, while the defense will rely on goalkeeper Kelly Gibson and 2M-defender Kerfoot. "We're looking forward to a pretty good season this year. We've got a fair amount of speed and some girls that can be physical," McWhirter said.
First-year Hinsdale Central coach Chris Wilbur will rely on a pair of wing players in Graveline and O'Doherty, along with goalkeeper/wing Connor this year, and the Red Devils are on the honorable mention list of teams in Illinois at illpolo.com