Women's Water Polo Introduces Five-Member Class of 2022
4/10/2018 12:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Brown University women's water polo will welcome five incoming freshmen as part of its Class of 2022, Brown head coach Felix Mercado announced on Tuesday.
All five student-athletes in the class hail from the state of California, while representing five different high schools and five different club programs. The group comprises two attackers, two utility players, and a goalkeeper.
The class includes attacker Lili Akin (Santa Barbara, Calif.), utility Dagmara Czajka (San Diego, Calif.), attacker Katie Klein (Lafayette, Calif.), goalkeeper Marley Presiado (Newport Beach, Calif.), and utility Isabel Riches (Laguna Beach, Calif.).
Lili Akin
Position: Attacker
Height: 5-foot-6
Hometown: Santa Barbara, Calif.
High School: San Marcos
Club Team: 805 Water Polo Club
Prep Accolades: Earned Second Team All-CIF as a senior … Gained All-Channel League honors in 2017 and 2018 … Took home Honorable Mention All-Channel League in 2015 and 2016 … Won team's Rookie of the Year award … Garnered Hawaiian Invitational MVP accolades in 2017 … Played for coaches Chuckie Roth and Connor Levoff … Competed on the club level for 805 Water Polo Club.
Why Brown? "I love the inviting atmosphere and the small campus. I also felt very welcomed by the water polo team and everyone I met while visiting."
Dagmara Czajka
Position: Utility
Height: 5-foot-9
Hometown: San Diego, Calif.
High School: Del Norte
Club Team: San Diego Shores Water Polo Club
Prep Accolades: Gained First Team All-CIF Division II honors as a junior … Garnered North County Conference First Team All-League accolades as a freshman, sophomore, and junior … Earned Team MVP honors in 2015, 2016, and 2017 … Served team as captain … Led team to Division II CIF Championship … Set Del Norte school records for assists in a season (57), steals in a season (131), blocks in a season (17), assists in a game (seven), and steals in a game (15) … Scored at least 94 goals in each of her first three seasons … Tallied 95 goals, 57 assists, and 90 steals as a junior … Registered 94 goals, 56 assists, and 95 steals as a sophomore … Played for coaches Greg Ormsby, Brooke Martin, Alex Williams, and Tim Reed … Also competed in swimming for coaches Pete Murphy and Gary Rossi … Gained Outstanding Academic All-America honors … Earned spot on San Diego Union-Tribune All-Academic Team in 2017 … National Honor Society student.
Why Brown? "Brown is beautiful. Not only in its architecture, but in its organization. I value unconventionality, so I'm drawn to how Brown is organized without traditional departments and with connectivity between each discipline. This allows me to gain a greater understanding of how disciplines in engineering blend into another, as it does in the workplace or in real life. Brown's campus also intertwines beautifully with the surrounding city and displays its close-knit community, which is important to me in a school. In addition, college is the time to discover yourself, plan out your future and decide what you want to do for the rest of your life. And Brown has the freedom I desire. I want to personalize my education for my needs and for my future as well as play the sport I love with an amazing team. No one's experience at Brown is the same, and that speaks volumes about the freedom of education and the experience you can have at Brown. I want to take classes that I am interested in, and I want to graduate with my own unique concentration."
Katie Klein
Position: Attacker
Height: 5-foot-6
Hometown: Lafayette, Calif.
High School: Campolindo
Club Team: Diablo Water Polo Club
Prep Accolades: Gained All-North Coast Section Second Team accolades twice … Earned All-DFAL honors all four years, including First Team selections in 2016 and 2017 … Tallied 217 goals, 132 assists, 131 steals, and 97 ejections drawn in career … Posted 78 goals and 38 assists as a senior and 68 goals and 31 assists as a junior … Captained team as a senior … Played for head coach Kim Everist … Competed on the club level for Diablo Water Polo Club and head coach Maureen O'Toole Purcell … Gained Junior Olympics All-America honors in 2013 and 2015 … Earned USA Water Polo Academic All-America in 2016 and 2017 … Garnered NCS/CIF Scholar-Athlete laurels in both water polo and swimming … Served as All Student Body Treasurer as a senior.
Why Brown? "Brown is one of the only schools which offers students the flexibility to roam and explore the endless possibilities the world and university has to offer. I am curious about many things and Brown's open-curriculum supplies me with the opportunity to explore my curiosities rather than being stuck to a cookie-cutter curriculum. Living over 3000 miles away from home may sound scary, but I have always wanted to experience something new and broaden my horizons. I am super excited to play under Coach Mercado and join the Brown water polo program!"
Marley Presiado
Position: Goalkeeper
Height: 5-foot-10
Hometown: Newport Beach, Calif.
High School: Mater Dei
Club Team: Regency Water Polo Club
Prep Accolades: Earned Second Team All-League twice … Won a CIF So Cal Regional title … Captured two Trinity League championships … Gained team's Most Improved Player award twice … Totaled 747 career saves over three seasons … Registered 8.2 saves per game, a 6.33 GAA, and 56.4 save percentage in 2018 … Played for head coach Chris Segesman … Competed on the club level for Regency Water Polo Club … Garnered USA Water Polo Academic All-America and Varsity Scholar-Athlete accolades … An AP Scholar with Distinction student.
Why Brown? "The open curriculum that Brown offers was one of the biggest factors in my decision to become a Bear."
Isabel Riches
Position: Utility
Height: 5-foot-8
Hometown: Laguna Beach, Calif.
High School: Laguna Beach
Club Teams: SET Water Polo Club; Laguna Beach Water Polo Club
Prep Accolades: Second Team Orange Coast All-League honors as a senior … Gained team's Defensive Player of the Year award as a junior and senior … Garnered Honorable Mention Orange Coast All-League accolades in 2017 … Won CIF South Section Division I titles in 2015 and 2017 … Played for coaches Ethan Damato and Erich Fischer as a center defender … Competed on the club level for SET Water Polo Club and Laguna Beach Water Polo Club … Played for Great Britain's Junior National Team … Also competed in swimming … Earned Orange Coast League Scholar-Athlete laurels all four years … An AP Scholar.
Why Brown? "At Brown, I can strike a balance between athletics and academics while surrounded by curious, hardworking, and kind-hearted people."
