The Lakeridge girls team brings back every starter from last year’s third-place state finisher.
The Lakeridge girls water polo team is poised.
They’re poised and ready and hungry and experienced and talented.
And 2022 just might be the best year in Pacers’ program history.
Lakeridge, coming off a Thee Rivers League championship and third-place finish at the Oregon High School Water Polo state tournament, returns all the starters from its 2021 team. That group is led by senior goalie Evelyn Miller (she was named TRL MVP and first-team all-state), junior Ella Ferguson (she was first-team all-TRL and first-team all-state) and sophomore Adrienne Medak (first-team all-TRL and second-team all-state).
“Miller, in my opinion, is the best goalie in the state and has been for at least the last two years,” said Lakeridge coach Aukai Ferguson.
“A close second for last year’s league MVP honors was Ella Ferguson,” Aukai Ferguson added, noting that Ella Ferguson led the team in scoring with 80 goals in ‘21, defended their opponent’s best player every game and recently trained with the USA Cadet National B team in Greece where she competed against Greece and Israel’s Cadet National A teams.
And there’s more experienced talent back, too, including sophomore Adrienne Medak (first-team all-TRL and second-team all-state), senior team captain Charlotte Mitchell (second-team all-TRL), senior Eleni Antonis (honorable mention all-TRL), junior Munroe Blem (honorable mention all-TRL), junior Elise Rabe (second-team all-TRL) and sophomore Sydney Brandvold, who returns to the team after missing ‘21 with an injury.
“(They) all are expected to make significant contributions this season,” Ferguson said. “Our biggest addition to this year’s team is Sydney Brandvold … who doubled down on her rehabilitation and off-season training and has not skipped a beat. She has all the physical and mental tools to dominate a game.”
Also ready for varsity time this year are senior Sophia McCarty, senior Miles Stansbury, sophomore Ava McDowell and senior Mia Stonelake.
As for the coming 2022 Three Rivers League race, Aukai Ferguson said that he expects Newberg to be his team’s biggest challenger.
“I think Newberg will be our toughest Three Rivers opponent this season,” he said.
See the Lake Oswego team preview here.
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