GROVE CITY, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson College women's water polo team (6-3) picked up two wins to close out the CWPA Weekend hosted by Grove City. The Presidents opened the day with a 15-8 win over the Wheaton (Mass.) Lyons and closed out the weekend with a 15-11 win against the Connecticut College Camels.
 
W&J 15, Wheaton (Mass.) 8
Junior Hallie Ratcliff (Friendswood, Texas/Friendswood) led the Presidents with six goals, two assists, and three steals against the Lyons. Three additional Presidents all had hat tricks of their own to round out the scoring.
 
W&J opened the contest 4-2 after the opening eight minutes. H. Ratcliff had a hat trick, and freshman Riley Gutierrez (Deer Park, Texas/Deer Park) got the fourth goal for W&J. The Red & Black extended their lead to 7-4 in the second as freshman Mackenzie Caron (Reading, Pa./Governor Mifflin) scored two and H. Ratcliff added a fourth. The Presidents also started strong defensively by holding the Lyons to just four goals.
 
W&J continued to extend their lead to 12-5 and only held the Lyons to one goal in the third. Emmie Ratcliff (Friendswood, Texas/Friendswood) had a hat trick in the quarter, while H. Ratcliff and Gutierrez each had one. The two teams each tied the scoring at three in the closing quarter, and the Presidents took the overall win 15-8. Gutierrez, H. Ratcliff, and Caron each had a goal to round out the scoring.
 
Lani Weaver (Conroe, Texas/Conroe) made 11 saves throughout the win for W&J. The team also combined for 25 steals throughout the 32 minutes of action.
 
W&J 15, Connecticut College 11
H. Ratcliff and Caron each led W&J in their final contest of the weekend. Both players found the back of the net six times against the Camels. The junior had four steals, and the freshman had three as well.
 
Four Presidents found the scoresheet in the opening eight minutes to take an early 4-3 lead. Gutierrez, Caron, and the Ratcliff sisters each got their first goals of the game. The Presidents extended their lead in the second by adding five goals to their total. Caron found the back of the net twice, and H. Ratcliff scored a hat trick in the period.
 
A strong third period helped put the game out of reach for the Camels. The Red & Black scored 5 in the period to take a 14-8 lead. Caron had three goals in the third eight minutes, while the Ratcliff sisters each added one. A strong defensive effort by the Presidents helped close out the contest and secure a 15-11 win. H. Ratcliff had the lone goal of the final frame.
 
Weaver had 11 saves in goal during the win for the Presidents. The team also had 11 steals throughout the course of the match.
 
W&J returns to the pool on Tuesday (March 10) when they travel to California for the team's spring break trip. The Presidents take on Occidental College.