Vote for the 2000 Women's Water Polo Team as Princeton Team of the Decade

PRINCETON, N.J. -- The Princeton University Department of Athletics is attempting to determine which team was the Tigers' "Team of the Decade." This week, the 2000 Eastern Champion women's water polo team is up for consideration in a first round bracket against four other teams on GoPrincetonTigers.com. Votes close at the end of the week.

To vote, go to the women's water polo page and click on the Fan Poll tab in the middle of the page. 

Following first round voting, the eight teams will be selected to  go head to head for the right to be called the Princeton Team of the Decade.  The 2004 men's water polo team claimed the Week Three title with over 77.1% of the vote.

To qualify for the competition, a Princeton team had to win either its league or national championship; in most cases, that was an Ivy League title. For teams that don't compete in the Ivy League, such as women's lightweight rowing or water polo, an Eastern or national championship was enough. Most programs won more than one league champion over the decade, but only one representative could be chosen for this competition.

A brief synopsis on the 2000 Princeton team follows:

2000 Women's Water Polo
Record: 25-6

· Eastern Champion

The Case: While there was plenty of talented youth on the roster, senior goaltender Goga Vukmirovic was the driving force on a team that blitzed through the regular season and found itself in the national championship tournament.

With nine straight victories to open the season, Princeton positioned itself as a force in the East. A major reason was freshman Adele McCarthy-Beauvais, who would score 93 goals on the season and earn second-team All-America honors. Sophomore Cassie Nichols was another All-East performer, and she would score arguably Princeton's biggest goal of the season.

Following a tough stretch in California, Princeton caught fire midway through the season. A 6-5 victory over Pacific ignited a stretch of 16 straight victories, which included a sweep through the Eastern Championships. Princeton clinched the title and a bid to Nationals with a 6-4 win over UMass in a game highlighted by McCarthy-Beauvais' three goals.

Princeton advanced to Nationals as the eighth seed and took on Hawaii in the first round. Trailing 4-1, the Tiger offense exploded and eventually drew even. A goal from Nichols proved to be the winner in a 13-11 victory, although No. 1 Stanford eliminated the Tigers in the next round. Princeton ended the season with 25 wins and a foundation that would win a Southern title the next season.