Courtesy: Indiana Athletics
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana head water polo coach Ryan Castle announced eight signees to the Hoosiers’ incoming class of 2023. Robyn Greenslade (Galmpton, England), Rebecca Schofield (Chicago, Ill.), Zoe Crouch (Morago, Calif.), Lauren Gaudry (Los Angeles, Calif.), Katherine Hawkins (Lafayette, Calif.), Taylor Wessel (Naperville, Ill.), Lanna DeBow (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Taryn Zweifel (Chesterfield, Mo.) make up the new group set to join IU Water Polo next year.
“This is a very exciting recruiting class for us,” Castle said. “We focused on bringing in a balanced class filled with size, speed, brains and a lot of potential, and we definitely delivered.”
Those arriving next fall will benefit from the 2019 season as the team gears up to compete in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Conference for the first time. “Each of the fine young ladies coming to Bloomington next year is coming to be part of a Midwest MPSF program that prioritizes academics,” commented Castle.
Robyn Greenslade •Center Forward •Galmpton, England
The Hoosiers received their first commit from Robyn Greenslade, a European native. Greenslade played for Newton Abbot and London Otter where she appeared in six European Championship competitions placing sixth in U17 (2017), ninth in U19 (2016/18), first at Women’s UE Nations and first in both U19 and U17 EU Nations. Greenslade was also voted Best Player at U17 EU Nations out of ten countries.
From Coach Castle: “Robyn is an explosive, relentless center who will generate a lot of offense for us next year. She has extensive experience competing in Europe with her national team, and will bring a competitive edge.”
Zoe Crouch •Center/Attacker • Moraga, California
Zoe Crouch is a four-year varsity letter winner and appeared in four NCS championships at Campolindo High School. Crouch was awarded Campo Water Polo Rookie of the Year as a freshman, NCS DAL All League Second Team Honors and All East Bay – North Bay Division 1 Third Team Honors as a junior, as well as NCS DAL All League First Team Honors during her senior year. Crouch was also Team Captain in her senior year earning a Scholar Athlete award.
In addition, Crouch was a member of Lamorinda Water Polo and 680 Water Polo Club where she placed second at Jos (2016). Crouch also participated in the Olympic Development Program and attended the National Training and Selections Camp twice.
From Coach Castle: “Zoe is a true utility player who is a threat anywhere in the pool. She can play defense, post-up, set and shoot from the outside. She’s a tough player to guard one-on-one. She will help us right away in whichever position she plays.”
Katherine Hawkins •Attacker/Utility • Lafayette, California
A fellow teammate of Crouch, Katherine Hawkins was also a three-time letter winner at Campolindo High School. Hawkins received First Team All-League (2018) as well as Scholar Athlete awards during all three years. Additionally, Hawkins played for Lamorinda Water Polo where she was awarded Junior Olympics All-American (2018). Hawkins also placed first at Western States, first at Wood Creek, and 13that Junior Olympics.
From Coach Castle: “Katherine is a teammate of Zoe’s at Campolindo who will bring a lot of energy to our program. She moves around and sees the pool really well. She also fits in well with the culture of our program.”
Lauren Gaudry •Center Defender •Los Angeles, California
Lauren Gaudry received varsity letters all four years at Santa Monica High School where she won the CIF-SS Division 6 Championship (2016). Gaudry received All-League First Team Ocean League (2016/17), Ocean League MVP (2018), All-CIFSS Division 6 First Team (2016), and was Team Captain during her senior year. Gaudry was also a member of Stars & Stripes Aquatics Academy under Coach Merrill Moses. In addition to her water polo career, Gaudry was a two-time letter winner for the Santa Monica High School swim team.
From Coach Castle: “Lauren is an attacker who will surprise a lot of people in college. She has a high water polo IQ and is a great one-on-one driver and defender.”
Becky Schofield •Utility •Chicago, Illinois
Becky Schofield received three varsity letters for both water polo and swimming under head coach Vanessa Carroll at Mother McAuley. Schofield has appeared in three water polo state championships placing 4thtwice (2016/17) and 6th(2018) earning a spot on First Team All-Conference, First Team All-Sectional, All-State (2017/18) and National State Challenge All-Tournament Team Selection (2018).
Additionally, Schofield played for Southside Polo, USA 18U Midwest Zone Olympic Development Program (2017) and the National All-Star East Team (2018). Schofield earned ODP Midwest Zone Selection (2017), National ODP All-Star Tournament Selection (2018), USA Water Polo Academic American with Distinction and American Water Polo Scholar Athlete with Honors awards. Schofield also had the opportunity to train in Hungary with Coach Laszlo Hruza where she was the second leading scorer in the tournament.
From Coach Castle: “Becky is a versatile utility player with good speed, a dual-threat attacker both at two meters and on the outside.”
Taylor Wessel •Utility •Naperville, Illinois
Taylor Wessel played for Naperville North High School where she received varsity letters all four years. During her high school career, Wessel was awarded both All-State and All-Conference twice, as well as Academic All-Conference three times. Wessel also received Offensive Player of the Year and helped lead Naperville North to a third-place state finals appearance, one of the highest state finishes in Naperville North history.
Additionally, Wessel had the opportunity to train in Hungary for three weeks over the summer alongside future teammate Becky Schofield.
From Coach Castle: “Taylor is a solid all-around player who will bring tenacity and speed on both sides of the ball. Over the summer, she developed into a solid all-around player by travelling to Hungary and training there.”
Lanna DeBow •Utility/Attacker • Cincinnati, Ohio
Lanna DeBow began her water polo career as a sophomore at Ursuline Academy. DeBow earned three water polo varsity letters and set two team records scoring 147 goals and swiping 154 steals. DeBow was awarded Ohio Player of the Year, All-State Team, All-State Tournament Player of the Year and Most Valuable Player of her team. While at Ursuline Academy, DeBow contributed to team victories at both the Ohio Cup and Ohio High School State Championships. Additionally, DeBow was a member of the Moose club team and played for the Mid-West Zone Team at the Olympic Development Championships this past year.
From Coach Castle: “Lanna is another tenacious athlete who will bring size and defensive toughness to our program.”
Taryn Zweifel •Attacker • Chesterfield, Missouri
Taryn Zweifel played as the only female on her high school coed water polo team at Marquette High School. Zweifel received four varsity letters and was awarded Female Player of the Year, Third Team All-State, Second Team All-Conference, Team Defensive MVP and Team Captain in her senior year. Zweifel was also a member of the Mad Dog and Moose club team alongside future teammate Lanna DeBow. Additionally, Zweifel trained with the All-Stars team at the Olympic Development Program.
From Coach Castle: “Taryn is an exciting left-handed attacker, who will help our depth on the 4-5 side.”
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