Women's Water Polo | 4/9/2026 12:00:00 PM
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Saint Francis begins play at the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Championships on April 10 at 4:30 p.m. in Ann Arbor, Mich., taking on Princeton University in the opening round.
THE WORD ON PRINCETON
Princeton enters the CWPA Championships with a 22-5 record after most recently defeating No. 18 Marist, 11-9, on April 2. Shanna Davidson led the Tigers offensively with four goals in the win, while Olivia Krotts contributed to the scoring attack as Princeton secured the victory.
LAST TIME WE MET THE TIGERS
Saint Francis last faced Princeton on March 21, at DeNunzio Pool, falling 18-10. The Red Flash remained competitive early before Princeton used the second quarter to build a lead and maintain control through the remainder of the contest.
Caylah Olay led Saint Francis with seven goals, while
Laura Knight added two goals.
Megan Marlin contributed a goal, four steals, and two blocks,
Sarah Hartwell recorded four assists, and
Victoria Tamarit made seven saves in goal.
NEW TO THE LO'
Victoria Tamarit, a freshman from Valencia, Spain, brings international experience as a goalie.
Laura Knight, a freshman from Auckland, New Zealand, joins the team as a utility player with strong all-around skills.
Olivia George, a sophomore from Grand Blanc, Michigan, adds scoring depth and speed as an attacker.
Bella Castaneda, a sophomore from Brea, California, is a versatile utility player who can make an impact at multiple positions.
FLASH FOCUS
Caylah Olay continues to lead the Saint Francis record book, ranking first in career goals (283), assists (104), points (387), shots (634) and exclusions drawn (235). Olay was named CWPA All-Conference Honorable Mention for the 2026 season and has been a consistent leader for the Red Flash on both ends of the pool throughout her career.
Head coach Jay O'Neil also reached a milestone this season, recording his 200th career win.
Sofia Maioriello set a new single-game program record with eight assists in a matchup against McKendree, marking the highest total in program history.
FROM THE DECK
Jay O'Neil enters his ninth season as head coach at Saint Francis and is now two wins shy of 100 career victories with the Red Flash. He guided the team to a program-record 14 wins in 2025. Under his leadership, Saint Francis has twice finished a program-best fifth in the postseason, in 2022 and 2024. A Bucknell graduate, O'Neil came to Loretto from Washington & Jefferson, where he earned CWPA Women's Coach of the Year honors in 2012, and also spent 10 years as aquatic director and head varsity swimming coach at Somerset Area High School.
NEXT SPLASH
The Red Flash will continue play at the CWPA Championships in Ann Arbor, Mich., following Friday's opening matchup. One game is scheduled for Saturday and another for Sunday, with matchups determined by tournament results.
All games will be streamed live on CWPATV.com (
https://www.ballertv.com/events?when=upcoming&view=grid), and live stats will be available through FOSH (
https://www.thefosh.net/).
