Harvard Announces 2009 Women's Water Polo Award Recipients

Nicola Perlman

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The Harvard women's water polo team recently held its annual awards banquet with four major awards handed out to honor the 2009 season. 

Head coach Erik Farrar also named juniors Kelly Peeler (Westfield, N.J./Pingry School) and Kristina Bergquist (Danville, Calif./Monte Vista) captains for the 2010 campaign.  Peeler helped Harvard to a 20-2 victory over Utica at the Northern Division Championship April 19, as she recorded a hat trick.  Bergquist, who also took home Harvard's Most Improved Player Award, made three steals against Princeton March 1 and scored six times during the spring. 

Next, senior co-captain Nicola Perlman (Stanford, Calif./Castilleja) was selected as the team's Most Valuable Player after earning six victories between the pipes.  She had a season-high 14 saves against the New York Athletic Club Feb. 14 and posted four other double-digit save totals in games in 2009.  Perlman tallied her first-career goal in Harvard's win over Utica April 5. 

Freshman Devan Kennifer (Monterey, Calif./Santa Catalina) continued to pick up awards as she was named Harvard's Rookie of the Year.  Kennifer, who led Harvard with 75 goals this spring, was also tabbed the Northern Division Rookie of the Year as well as the Eastern Championhip Rookie of the Tournament.  She garnered All-Northern Division first-team accolades and was selected to the All-Eastern Championship second team. 

Farrar presented sophomore Shami Entenman (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./Grosse Pointe South) with the Coach's Award.  Entenman scored five goals in two games April 5, including a hat trick against Utica.  She also added two tallies that afternoon against Connecticut College and netted three goals against those same teams at the Northern Division Championship April 19.

The Crimson finished the 2009 season with a 12-16 overall record and placed seventh at Easterns, earning its first win at the tournament since 2005 by defeating Bucknell.  Harvard also took third at the Northern Division Championship, topping Utica and Connecticut College.  The team returns 14 players to next year's squad, having only graduated two players from its current roster.