Season Review: 2025 Michigan Water Polo

Team Captains: Ashley O’Neill, Kasey Umlauf

Record: 19-11, 9-3 Collegiate Water Polo Association (3rd Place)

CWPA Championship: Third Place

The University of Michigan water polo team put together a solid 2025 campaign in head coach Cassie Churnside‘s third season at the helm of the Wolverines program. The Maize and Blue finished the season with seven wins against ranked opponents and came within one goal of a spot in the CWPA championship game. On an individual level, four Wolverines landed on a CWPA All-Conference team, highlighted by Ari Karampetsou earning first-team honors and Issy Jackson earning second-team honors.

Team Highlights

• The Wolverines finished the 2025 campaign ranked 16th nationally and third at the CWPA Championship.

• Michigan secured its biggest win of the regular season by defeating then-No. 8 Harvard 9-7 at the Aztec Invitational on March 16 in San Diego, Calif. Sophia Panossian and Karampetsou led the Wolverines’ offensive efforts with two goals each against the Crimson.

• U-M got the home portion of its 2025 season off to a strong start at the Wolverine Invitational, winning against all five opponents inside Canham Natatorium. Michigan knocked off each foe by a minimum of 10 goals.

• While hosting the Conference Crossover, the Maize and Blue celebrated Senior Day, defeating then-No. 20 Brown 17-11. Throughout the tournament, Michigan took a 24-2 win over Mercyhurst and closed out their home schedule with a 22-9 victory over Saint Francis.

Individual Highlights

• Freshman Karampetsou dominated in her first season in Ann Arbor, notching 106 points with a team-high 66 goals and 40 assists. She scored three goals or more in 12 games and scored in 22 of her 30 games played. For her efforts, Karampetsou found herself on the Peter J. Cutino Award Midseason Watch List as one of the top 20 women’s water polo players in the country. The Athens, Greece, native earned four separate CWPA weekly honors as both Offensive Player and Rookie of the Week.

• With 59 points on the season, Emma Gustafsson was a threat for the Maize and Blue. The sophomore was the second-leading scorer, recording 49 goals and 10 assists throughout the season. On April 25, Gustafsson tallied a career-high six goals in a victory over Saint Francis.

• During her junior season, Jackson played a pivotal role on both ends of the pool. The Auckland, New Zealand, native led the team with 39 steals while tallying nine field blocks. Offensively, Jackson notched 50 points, recording 27 goals and 23 assists. Her versatility earned her CWPA All-Conference and All-Tournament second-team honors.

• Freshman goalkeeper Sophia Bunnell was a defensive anchor for the Maize and Blue in her first season in the net. She started 23 games, collecting 196 saves and recording nine steals. Bunnell notched double-digit saves in nine games, including 15 in the CWPA Championship semifinals against then-No. 15 Harvard, and was named CWPA All-Conference honorable mention.

Honors and Awards

Madie
Ambrose

Sophia
Bunnell

Emma
Gustafsson

Brooke
Ingram

Issy
Jackson

Ari
Karampetsou

Kasey
Umlauf

Matilda
Waugh

Collegiate Water Polo Association

All-CWPA (First Team): Ari Karampetsou

All-CWPA (Second Team): Issy Jackson

All-CWPA (Honorable Mention): Sophia Bunnell, Matilda Waugh

All-Tournament (First Team): Kasey Umlauf

All-Tournament (Second Team): Issy Jackson

All-Tournament (Honorable Mention): Sophia Bunnell, Brooke Ingram

Player of the Week: Emma Gustafsson (Jan. 21, March 24)

Defensive Player of the Week: Madie Ambrose (Jan. 21)

Rookie of the Week: Ari Karampetsou (Jan. 21, Feb. 12, March 5, March 24), Matilda Waugh (April 8)

Academic All-Big Ten

Riley Chapple, Jr., Communication and Media

Katie Delaney, So., Biochemistry

Claire Eusey, Jr., Cognitive Science

Emma Gustafsson, So., Communication and Media

Brooke Ingram, Jr., Sport Management

Issy Jackson, Jr., Sport Management

Kaia Levenfeld, So., Movement Science

Emilia Mladjan, So., Electrical Engineering

Ashley O’Neill, Sr., Neuroscience

Sophia Panossian, So., Applied Exercise Science

Maiken Pardon, Sr., Mechanical Engineering

Maddy Scarth, So., French; Political Science

Jillian Schlom, So., Economics

Jordan Schneider, So., Economics

Kasey Umlauf, Gr., Human Genetics