BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – After a long offseason, the 2016 NCAA water polo season is right around the corner. The Hoosiers are building from a successful 2015 season, finishing with a No. 11 national ranking and amidst a three-way tie at the top of the CWPA. This season, head coach Barry King and the Hoosiers look to extend their success, with their sights set on the CWPA Championship and a return to the NCAA Championships in Los Angeles, Calif.
While the Hoosiers lost six valuable seniors to graduation over the summer, they return a group filled with talent across all classes and position groups. This week, IUHoosiers.com will breakdown this year’s team by position, taking a look at the team’s new leaders and new faces of Indiana Water Polo.
Indiana’s most experienced position group in 2016 is their goalkeeping tandem of Mary Campbell andMacKenzie Bonk. As seniors, Campbell and Bonk will serve as role models to a young Hoosier squad, and the team will lean on their leadership in the cage.
The Goalkeepers: Mary Campbell (Sr.), MacKenzie Bonk (Sr.)
“Our success is going to be centered around being able to make teams earn their goals this season,” coach King said when asked about his goalkeeping unit. “Both Mary and MacKenzie’s progress in that regard will be a leading factor in our overall team success.”
Campbell made a remarkable jump in her role on the team from her sophomore season in 2014 (two starts in eight appearances) to her junior year in 2015 (31 starts in 32 appearances). She made 262 saves last season (5th-IU history) as Indiana’s leading goalkeeper, and her level of play grew as the Hoosiers moved through the season. By the end of the year, Campbell was one of the top goalkeepers in the conference.
Her season culminated in an outstanding showing at the 2015 CWPA Tournament. She averaged just 4.5 goals allowed per game on her way to Second Team All-CWPA Tournament honors.
“If Mary picks up from where she left off last season, that will be huge for her and for us as a defensive unit,” King said.
The Hoosiers are known for their speed in transition and on the counter-attack, which makes the goalkeeper position a vital part of Indiana’s offense as well. King sees his goalkeepers as his last defender, but also his first attacker, and Bonk and Campbell will continue to play an integral role in initializing their fast-break offense.
Bonk played a valuable role in her first season with the Hoosiers, transferring from Golden West College (Calif.) after her sophomore season. She made four starts in 15 appearances with 92 saves, three assists, and eight steals while donning the 1A cap.
While not the projected starter, Bonk’s role isn’t diminished on this team. The two goalkeepers push each other competitively each day in practice, and it shows on game day. Coach King is confident enough in both of his goalkeepers that, at times, he’ll give the start to whoever looks best in training.
“MacKenzie and Mary were very interchangeable last season, and we were comfortable with playing whoever was in form heading into the game,” King said. “If they can repeat that level of consistency this season, but at a higher level, we’re in a good position in the cage.”
Campbell and Bonk will take the cage this Saturday, January 23, for their first game of the season against sixth-ranked Arizona State. The Hoosiers lost a hard-fought contest to the Sun Devils at last season’s ASU Invitational, but they’ll look to pick up some west coast wins in their four games against Arizona State this weekend.
Swimming news courtesy of Indiana Water Polo.
