April 24, 2008

Erie, Pa. - With 77 goals through 20 games, Mercyhurst women's water polo freshman Rachel Griepsma is not only moving up the program's record books, she is also proving to be one of top offensive threats in the entire nation.

Griepsma, with an average of 3.9 goals per game, currently ranks first in the NCAA--regardless of division--in goals per game average. Only 10 players in the country are averaging more than 3.0 per outing.

Griepsma also ranks 10th in total goals despite playing 10 games fewer than the national leader, Cal State Bakersfield's Amanda Ortiz, who has 102 overall and an average of 3.4 per game.

She is the only freshman ranked in the top 10 and only one other freshman (Maggie Wood of Iona) cracked the top 20.

Along with owning the Mercyhurst freshman scoring record, Griepsma has produced the third-best single-season number in school history. She will have an opportunity to pass Ann Markley's 2004 total of 79 for second place this weekend at the Eastern Championship.

Griepsma's teammate, senior Christine Somera, is averaging 2.9 goals per game and has totaled 57 goals, which ranks 32nd.

With Griepsma and Somera leading the way, the Lakers are 13th out of 45 teams in scoring offense at 10.7 goals per game.

Thanks in part to the potent offense, Mercyhurst has become the first Division II program to qualify for the Eastern Championship since the field was narrowed to eight teams in 2005. With a 14-6 record, the Lakers are just one win shy of tying the program record for wins in a season, which was set with a 15-8-1 mark in 2006.

Mercyhurst faces top-seed Michigan in the opening round of the Eastern Championship Friday at 11 a.m., in Ann Arbor, Mich.