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Photo courtesy of Val Clinger

MEGHAN MAHONEY TO ATTEND IONA COLLEGE

Senior water polo player Meghan Mahoney has committed to Iona College.  This past season, she was named to the All-State team, among other accolades.  Her goal-scoring prowess led the Lady Tigers to a third place finish in the state tournament.  She will continue her water polo career with the New York school this upcoming fall as a member of the Gaels.

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WATER POLO TEAMS RECEIVE ALL-STATE HONORS

(12/2/11) This season the boys and girls water polo teams each finished third in their respective state tournaments and accordingly, the Tigers received high recognition on the newly released All-State teams.  On the boys side, senior Zach Presto received first team accolades, while senior Evan Staresenic and freshman Max Staresenic earned second team nods.  The younger Staresenic was also named State Rookie of the Year.  For the girls, senior Meghan Mahoney was named to the first team, while seniors Allie Pennetti and Dana Scherer made the second team.  All six were also named first team All-Western conference.  Additionally, Maggie Howison was named third team all-state.  For a complete breakdown of North Allegheny All-State award winners, see below:

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SEASON RECAP OF TIGERS
FANTASTIC SEASON

(11/21/11) Last month’s snowstorms shut down the PA Turnpike and stranded the North Allegheny High School girls’ water polo team in Lansdale, PA, but gave them an extra night to celebrate their second consecutive third place finish in the State Water Polo Tournament at North Penn HS the weekend of October 29.  And the next weekend, following in their footsteps, the NA high school boys’ water polo had an equally impressive third place finish at Cumberland Valley HS, improving over last year’s fourth place state position.  Both NA teams also walked away with the Western Division titles, and numerous players were recognized as the state level for their skills with selections to All-State teams and a rookie of the year designation, as detailed below.  Results are posted @ www.eteamz.com/pawaterpolo.

In what has been a progressive development of the only high school water polo program in Western Pennsylvania, this year’s States’ results demonstrate the outcome of hard work and determination.  Water polo began at NA about a dozen years ago to enhance the training of swimmers for the high school swim team, which is a blue-ribbon team under the coaching of PA Swimming Hall of Fame Cork Semler.  However, the launch of water polo has benefitted both programs.  Many swimmers and water polo players cross-train for almost the whole school season, starting in August and finishing up in March. 

And in what are both a “family affair” and perhaps the persona of “sibling rivalry,” this year’s NA high school teams have a brother-brother (Evan & Max Staresenic), sister-sister (Emily & Isabella Leard) and brother-sister (Steven & Mia Siclari) combo who play in friendly competition with each other.  While this triple representation may be unusual, the family connection is nothing new as many of the current players are following their older siblings’ footsteps or are being followed by their younger siblings who are playing in the feeder Tiger Water Polo Club. 

In any event, this year’s water polo finish shows how far the program has grown from the shadows of the swim team, and has benefitted under the tutelage of newly hired coach Nikola Malezanov, who hails from Serbia and is assistant coach for the US Men’s National Water Polo Team representing the US at the upcoming Olympics.  Highlights of this year’s high school team are posted on the water polo page of http://athletics.northallegheny.org. 

Here is a recap of the season’s close:

Western Conference Championship – October 21 & 22

NA boys and girls came away with second place at the Western Conference Championships hosted by NASH on October 21/22.  The boys reached the tournament finals by defeating Wilson HS 17-14 with senior Zach Presto contributing seven goals.  In the finals, NA lost 13-7 to Cumberland Valley, this year’s state champs.  The Lady Tigers had an exciting 19-16 overtime win over Cumberland Valley, with senior Megan Mahoney putting in 9 shots for the team, and senior goalie Allie Pennetti and sophomore goalie Kristen Bishop each saving seven goals, a true team effort of offense and defense.  Ultimately, the girls lost to Wilson HS in the finals, 17-13.

Women’s HS State Championships – October 28 & 29

At the snowy State championships the last weekend in October, the girls earned third place bronze medals.  Senior Meghan Mahoney was a key contributor to this result, planting 17 goals in the last three games and nine goals in the 12-11 third place win over Souderton.  The Souderton game went into double overtime and sudden death, and Meghan made the tying goals and ultimately the winning goal, and those contributed helped earn her a position on All-State First-Team.  Seniors Allie Pennetti (goalie) and Dana Scherer were each selected to All-State Second-Team, and Senior Maggie Howison captured All-State Third-Team honors.   North Penn girls took first place and Wilson girls took second place in the state tournament. 

Men’s HS State Championships – November 4 & 5

At the boys’ State championship the following weekend, the boys fought their way to bronze as well, improving over last year’s fourth place finish.  NA vanquished Governor Mifflin 19-17 in the semi-finals, after losing to second place North Penn in a close 7-9 game.  Cumberland Valley took the first-place honors in a neck-and-neck 6-4 finals game over North Penn.  In addition to NA taking third place, the NA team players received many individual honors, including senior Zach Presto being chosen for All-State First-Team, and senior Evan Staresenic and his brother, freshman Max Staresenic, each earning All-State Second-Team.  Honorable mention went to juniors Dominic Caputo and Robert Clinger.   The depth of the team’s talent and skills was evidenced by goalie Charles Ross and offensive player Max Staresenic both earning a place on the freshmen All-State Team.   And Max hit the trifecta as the 2011 Rookie of the Year for the entire state. 

Western Conference Team Selection

Further attesting to the skills of the NA Tiger Water Polo teams were the fact that numerous players were selected this past week for the Western conference teams:  Presto and the Staresenic brothers were selected for First Team; Caputo and Clinger were selected for Second Team; and senior John Christenson and junior Steven Siclari were selected for Third Team.   On the girls’ side, all five of the seniors and both juniors were selected for Western Conference:  seniors Mahoney, Pennetti (goalie) and Scherer were selected for First Team; senior Maggie Howison was selected for Second Team; senior Emily Leard and junior Mary Riley were selected for Third Team; and junior Allison Reid was selected for Honorable Mention.  Thus, the NA Lady Tigers had as many selections as Cumberland Valley and one less than Wilson.

Tiger Water Polo Club and USA Water Polo’s Olympic Development Committee Program

For some, the close of the high school water polo season means a transition to WPIAL high school swim competition.  And for others, it is merely a pause as they continue water polo playing as part of the Tiger Water Polo club (www.tigerwp.aquanite.com) and/or training as part of the USA Water Polo’s Olympic Development Program (ODP), a California-based training program that conducts a series of regional training sessions ending in national team competition in March 2012 in Florida.  The teams are divided by age and region.  The following NA high school water polo players will be training with the ODP’s Northeast Zone:  for the boys, seniors Zach Presto and Evan Staresenic; juniors Dominic Caputo, Robert Clinger, Alex Shaffer, Steven Siclari; and freshmen Ryan Pieton and Max Staresenic; and for the girls, senior Meghan Mahoney, junior Mary Riley and sophomore Mia Siclari.  

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NORTH ALLEGHENY CLAIMS THIRD PLACE AT STATES

(11/7/11) The North Allegheny Boys Water Polo Team wrapped up their season this past weekend with a third place finish at the State Tournament at Cumberland Valley High School.  North Allegheny handed LaSalle College an 11-9 loss in the quarterfinals but fell in the semifinals to North Penn, 12-10.  The Tigers claimed a third place finish by taking down Governor Mifflin in an exciting game, 17-15. 

Several Tigers earned All-State Honors as Zach Presto was chosen as a First-Team selection.  Max and Evan Staresinic earned Second-Team laurels while Rob Clinger and Dom Caputo were Honorable Mentions.  Freshman Max Staresinic was selected as the Rookie of the Year.  Concluding another excellent water polo season at North Allegheny, the NA Boys and Girls both finished as Division Champions in 2011. 

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LADY TIGERS TAKE THIRD AT
STATE TOURNAMENT

(10/31/11) The North Allegheny Girls Water Polo team earned bronze medals at the State Tournament at North Penn High School this weekend.  The third place finish was keyed by senior Meghan Mahoney, who tallied 17 goals over the Tigers' last three games and nine goals in the Third Place game versus Souderton.  The Lady Tigers claimed an exciting 12-11 victory in three overtimes to defeat Souderton.  Prior to that, NA defeated Perkiomen Valley 7-5 in the quarterfinals but fell in the semifinals to North Penn, 12-5.  That set the stage for North Allegheny’s dramatic victory over Souderton.

The Lady Tigers concluded the year with several individual accolades as well to go along with a 17-5 regular season record.  Mahoney was named First-Team All-State, seniors Dana Scherer and Allie Pennetti were All-State Second-Team selections, and senior Maggie Howison captured All-State Third-Team accolades.  The NA Boys will take part in the State Tournament this weekend at Cumberland Valley High School.   

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TIGERS TAKE 2nd AT WESTERN
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

(10/22/11) The North Allegheny Water Polo Teams came away with 2^nd place showings at this weekend’s Western Conference Championships at NASH.  The NA Boys’ reached the tournament finals by defeating Wilson 17-14, led by Zach Presto’s seven goals.  In the finals, the Tigers fell short with a 13-7 loss to Cumberland Valley.

For the Lady Tigers, Megan Mahoney’s nine goals helped lift NA to a 19-16 overtime victory over Cumberland Valley in the semifinals.  Maggie Howison tallied five goals in the win.  In net, Allie Pennetti and Kristen Bishop posted seven saves apiece.  The NA Girls were edged by Wilson in the finals, 17-13. 

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NA WATER POLO TEAMS AT SEASON MIDPOINT AFTER BEAST OF THE EAST

(9/25/11) - After hosting the Tiger Classic a week ago, an event that saw the North Allegheny Girls Water Polo team finish a spectacular (5-0), both North Allegheny Water Polo Teams were back in action this past weekend in the Beast of the East Tournament.  The girls were involved in hotly contested matched all weekend, defeating Perkiomen Valley and Hazelton, 7-5 and 9-6.  Their string of success ended, however, after setbacks against Thomas Worthington and Governor Muflin.  The Lady Tigers ended the tournament at (2-2).

The boys faired slightly better, going (3-1) in tournament play, falling in their final match to Greenwich, 15-8.  Overall, the boys now stand at (14-3) on the year.  The girls are nearly as successful, tallying a (14-4) record at season's midpoint.  Both squads will return to action September 30th, with the Knight Invitational, held at North Penn High School.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will post the results of the tournament as soon as they are made available.

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WATER POLO MAKES WAVES AT SCREAMIN'
EAGLE TOURNAMENT

(9/13/11) - The North Allegheny Boys’ Water Polo Team had another strong showing last weekend at the Screamin’ Eagle Tournament.  The Tigers cruised to wins over Pottsville, Muhlenburg, and Reading, before facing state championship contender North Penn.  North Allegheny trailed 6-2 during the first quarter, before mounting a furious comeback, overtaking the Knights, 13-12.  The onslaught was led by senior Zach Presto and freshman Max Staresenic, netting four goals apiece.  Junior Rob Clinger scored a hat trick, and senior Evan Staresenic contributed a pair of goals in the stunning comeback. 

In their final game of the tournament, the Tigers fell for the first time all season, a 12-8 setback at the hands of tournament host Cumberland Valley.  Freshman goalie Charles Ross had a seven save effort as North Allegheny ended the tournament with a 4-1 record, 8-1 overall on the season. 

The Girls team had similar success, routing Pottsville and Muhlenburg in the early rounds, before stumbling against North Penn.  The Lady Tigers spotted North Penn a 6-0 lead and could not fully recover, falling 12-10.  Megan Mahoney notched an incredible eight goals in the loss.  In the final game of the weekend, North Allegheny bounced back, defeated Cumberland Valley, undefeated state champions a year ago.  Goalie Allie Pennetti shined for the Tigers with 11 saves.  The Lady Tigers defense clamped down, pulling out a 7-4 victory. 

Both North Allegheny water polo teams will return to the pool next weekend at home in the Tiger Classic.  Games are scheduled for Friday night and all day Saturday in the NASH pool.   

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NA BOYS' EARN BIG WIN OVER WILSON AT McDOWELL TOURNAMENT

(9/6/11) The North Allegheny Boys’ Water Polo Team earned a monumental win for the NA program over the Labor Day weekend with a 12-7 victory over perennial state powerhouse Wilson in the finals of the McDowell Tournament.  The Tigers were led by Zach Presto who scored six goals against Wilson and Evan Staresinic who notched three goals as well.  The duo of Presto and Staresinic scored a combined 26 goals for the entire tournament.  The win was North Allegheny’s first over Wilson in Tigers history.  The NA Boys’ finished the weekend with a perfect 4-0 record, claiming wins over Cathedral Prep, Kilborne and Thomas Worthington along the way.

While the Lady Tigers didn’t claim any milestone victories, they did establish themselves as a state powerhouse with a 4-1 showing at the tournament in Erie.  The victories for the NA Girls’ included wins over Fairview, Villa, Kilborne and McDowell.  Their only defeat came to Wilson.  Senior Meghan Mahoney led the offensive attack with 11 goals on the weekend, while Dana Scherer provided outstanding defense by posting 13 steals.  Goalkeeper Allie Pennetti backed up her defense by averaging 11 saves per game.

The North Allegheny Water Polo Team will try to build on the great start this weekend at the Screamin’ Eagle Tournament at Cumberland Valley High School.   

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Any questions or comments should be directed to Athletic Director
Bob Bozzuto at:  bbozzuto@northallegheny.org