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Armstrong Backstops U.S. to 2009 FINA World Championship
ROME, Italy
-- With a 7-6 victory over Canada on July 31,
former University of Michigan varsity and Arizona State
University club water polo goalkeeper Betsey
Armstrong led the United States National Team to its third
world championship this decade at the 2009 FINA World Championships
in Rome, Italy. The stellar performance added a second FINA gold
medal to her resumé.
Armstrong was steady in the gold medal victory over Canada,
turning aside 11 shots. Her biggest save of the game came on the
Canadian's final trip down the pool when she turned aside an
attempt at the near post to preserve the one-goal lead and the
victory. In a semifinal contest with Greece, Armstrong made 14
saves, including a last-second stop to preserve an 8-7 win.
Armstrong picked up victories over Kazakhstan, Greece, China and
Spain with her lone blemish of the tournament coming against Russia
during the preliminary round. She made 67 saves on 119 shots in
seven games between the pipes.
Armstrong has been a member of the USA National Team since 2006.
During her tenure, she has collected gold medals at the XV Pan
American Games, FINA World League and 2007 FINA World
Championships. At the 2007 World Championships, Armstrong was named
Most Outstanding Goalkeeper. Tending the nets at the Beijing
Olympics, she guided the Americans to a silver medal.
Armstrong, a 2008 Collegiate Water Polo Association Hall of Fame
inductee, put together a prolific collegiate career while tending
the net for the Maize and Blue. She scored All-America recognition
four times and was a Cutino Award finalist as the nation's top
player during the 2004 season. She was named divisional Most
Valuable Player twice (2003-04) and earned four CWPA All-Division
first team honors (2002-05) and sits atop every major career
goalkeeping list at Michigan.
Courtesy University of Michigan Athletic Communications Office
