 |  |
2009 FINA World Championship Notes: Armstrong, Knox & Hudson Shine on World Stage
ROME, Italy -- Current and potentially future Collegiate Water Polo Association Hall of Fame members Bronwen Knox (Hartwick College), Betsey Armstrong '05 (University of Michigan) and Kirsten Hudson '10 (Hartwick College) are currently competing for Australia, the United States and New Zealand at the 2009 FINA World Championship in Rome, Italy.
Featuring Uzbekistan, the United States of America, China, Italy, Hungary, Russia, Greece, Kazakhstan, Australia, Canada, South Africa, New Zealand, Germany, Brazil, Spain and the Netherlands, the 2009 FINA World Championship is the preeminent international water polo event of the year as the world's best compete for global pride and the title "World Champion".
Box scores and play-by-play from each of the World Championship games are available online here.
Betsey Armstrong
The goalkeeper for the United States National Team,she is 4-1 in action to date leading the U.S. to wins over Kazakhstan (19-6 W), Greece (12-8 W), China (12-9 W) and Spain (9-6 W) with a loss to Russia (11-10 L) while compiling 42 saves on 81 shots in 152 minutes of play.
Against Kazakhstan in the opening round of pool play, she made six saves on 11 shots with a steal in 24 minutes of work on July 19, before tallying eight saves on 19 shots over 32 minutes in an 11-10 loss to Russia on July 21. She returned to the pool to stop 12 of 20 shots in 32 minutes to key the United States to a 12-8 victory over Greece on July 21. On July 25, she blocked down 10 of 19 shots in 32 minutes during a 12-9 victory over China to forward the U.S. to a quarterfinal showdown with Spain on July 27.
Against Spain, she wrangled six of 12 shots over 32 minutes to power the Red, White & Blue to a 9-6 win and advance her team to a semifinal matchup against Greece on July 29.
A 2008 Collegiate Water Polo Association Hall of Fame inductee,
Armstrong spent four seasons tending the cage for the University of
Michigan Wolverines, leading the team to four divisional titles and
two NCAA tournament appearances, including a sixth-place finish at
the 2005 NCAA Championship. She wrapped up her U-M career as the
program leader in blocks (1,267), minutes (3,329), goals against
average (5.64) and save percentage (.654). She also holds the top
four Michigan single-season blocks totals and three of the top five
spots on the single-season save percentage and GAA lists.
During her career with the Maize and Blue, Armstrong racked up a
pair of divisional Most Valuable Player accolades (2003-04) and
four CWPA All-Division First Team honors (2002-05). Armstrong
excelled at the Eastern Championship, earning two MVP honors (2003,
'05) as part of three All-Eastern Championship first team
nominations (2002, 2004-05). On the national level, she earned
All-America recognition in each season, making the second team in
2004, third team in 2005 and honorable mention in her first two
campaigns at Michigan.
In May 2006, she earned a spot on the USA National Team following
an open tryout. In just under two years with the squad, Armstrong
has led Team USA to a gold medal at the XV Pan American Games --
securing the country's spot at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing,
China -- and gold medal victories in both the FINA World League and
FINA World Championships. At the World Championships, Armstrong was
recognized as the tournament’s Most Outstanding
Goalkeeper.
At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, she guided Team U.S.A. to the
gold medal game against the Netherlands as the team captured the
silver medal.
Kirsten Hudson
A member of her native New Zealand's team, coached by former Brown University head coach and current Arizona State University club athlete and head women's varsity coach Todd Clapper, Hudson has compiled six goals on 17 shots with three steals while leading her team against South Africa (12-5 W), Canada (12-6 L), Australia (14-4 L) and Germany (8-7 L).
Against South Africa in the first game of pool play, she fired
three shots and recorded a steal in 20:02 of field time in New
Zealand's victory, before tallying five shots and a steal in 21:56
during the Canada game. She tacked on three goals off four
shots in 27:29 against Australia as New Zealand finished third in
its pool.
Versus Germany in the next round, she tallied three goals on five shots with a steal as New Zealand will take part in the 12th place game on July 29 against China.
The 2009 Hartwick College Anna
Meyer Female Athlete of the Year Award, she recorded one of the
most impressive seasons of any player in Hartwick water polo
history in 2009. She became the first player at Hartwick to break
the 200-point mark in a single season, broke the career goals and
points records at 'Wick, and reached the 500-point mark for her
career.
She was named the Eastern Championship Most Valuable Player for
the second time in three years and earned first team All-Tournament
honors for the third straight time.
A Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Northern Division First
Team all-star for the third consecutive season, she earned her
division's Player of the Week award four-times during the 2009
season.
She broke the season assist record with 77 helpers, while her 124
goals in 2009 was the second-highest single-season total in program
history. Defensively, she registered 87 steals this season giving
her 205 (tied for 4th all-time) for her three-year career.
Bronwen Knox
A native of Brisbane, Knox competed for Australia at last year's
Olympic Games in Beijing and has returned to the national stage
with eight goals on 15 shots in helping the Aussies against Canada
(6-6 T), South Africa (23-2 W), New Zealand (14-4 W) and Greece
(4-3 L) at this year's World Championship.
Following a one shot and steal performance against Canada in the opening round of pool play on July 19, she rattled off five goals on five shots in 18:18 against South Africa on July 21 before tallying three goals on six shots with a steal in 20:56 against New Zealand on July 25 as Australia won Group C.
In a quarterfinal match-up against Greece, she fired off three shots in 22:49 as Australia fell to the Greeks to slipped into contention for the fifth place game as the Aussies will face Spain on July 29 in the 5th/8th place game.
A two time American Water Polo
Coaches Association (AWPCA) All-America selection during her career
at Hartwick, she led the nation in goals in 2006 with 127 en route
to becoming a second team honoree. She left Hartwick following the
season to train with the Australian National Team. As a freshman,
she was recognized as an honorable mention All-America following
her 102-goal, 31-assist effort in 2005. She was also chosen as a
first team all-Eastern Championship and all-CWPA Northern Division
honoree both years as well.
Despite only playing two years at Hartwick, she ranks second
all-time in goals (229), third in career steals (209), fourth in
total points (286) and holds the single-season records for goals
(127) and steals (117).
