Women’s water polo is going swimmingly at Salem University.

At Salem University in Harrison County, a very impressive team of women is making a splash in more ways than one. The school’s women’s water polo team—which was relaunched for the modern era in 2018—is coming off back-to-back conference championships in the 2022 season. The team has showcased its outstanding skills everywhere from Arizona to Pennsylvania to Harvard University. It went undefeated in conference play last season and has high hopes to continue that momentum into the future, says Athletic Director Alexander Joseph.
“They’re not only hard workers in the pool, but they’re also excellent student athletes and campus community members, and they’re overall very good people,” Joseph says of the team, a diverse group of students representing 10 countries.
A particular point of pride is the athletes’ academic success. “It’s awesome how they come together as a team and how they prioritize academic and athletic success,” Joseph says. The team collectively had the second highest grade point average in the NCAA in 2021, he adds.
If that’s not impressive enough, 18 of the team’s members were recently named to the prestigious 2022 Western Water Polo Association All-Academic Team, which requires student athletes to maintain a 3.0 GPA while competing in at least half of the season’s contests.
Joseph is optimistic for even greater team success in the coming season. “Hopefully we can continue to reach new levels, which for us would be the second round of the NCAA Tournament.”
READ MORE ARTICLES FROM WV LIVING’S FALL 2022 ISSUE
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