Bison Athlete of the Week: Eleanor Marrs ’16, Women’s water polo

Devan Schulte, Senior Writer

 

After lifting the women’s water polo team to a decisive 3-1 record Feb. 13-14 at the Princeton Invitational, Eleanor Marrs ’16 has a lot to smile about. The Henderson, Nevnative recorded a team-high of 10 goals and eight assists during the weekend’s four matches. Her individual success was able to propel the team past three difficult opponents. The team now stands with a record of 4-4, yet the recent success of Marrs in the attack is a hopeful foreshadowing of upcoming victories that will push the Orange and Blue past a .500 record. 

“Going into this weekend, I knew we had to go three and one. Winning these three games would set us up to have confidence going into the rest of the season. As a team, we were pleased by our performance our first weekend and wanted to prove that we could win those tough games,” Marrs said.

The Bison found their first game to be the toughest and were unable to soar past No. 19 Wagner, suffering a difficult 14-6 defeat. However, the team remained positive thanks to the strong leadership of Marrs and her fellow seniors heading into the second game of the day against Iona. The two teams headed into overtime after finishing regulation with a score of 8-8, and Marrs used the opportunity to showcase her strength and resilience.

“Overtime is much more mentally challenging than regulation play because we have all given 100 percent in the first four quarters, not expecting to play more. Then to have to play another two periods with added pressure takes a lot of mental strength,” Marrs said.

Marrs and the rest of the Bison squad embraced the challenge and took home an 11-10 victory after the star senior attack found the back of the net twice to lift the Orange and Blue past the Gaels.

“Our off-season training really prepared us for the overtime quarters; even though we were all physically exhausted, we worked extremely hard in the off-season to have the endurance and stamina to finish those last six minutes,” Marrs said.

Despite such success, Marrs noted the team’s need to recover, recuperate, and refocus in order to prepare for the two tough matches the following day would bring. The Bison faced Cal Lutheran and Villanova in their next set of games over the weekend and were able to outscore their challengers 22-13 after two decisive victories. Marrs once again provided a dominant performance with five goals and four assists, helping to elevate the Orange and Blue to their best record of the season thus far.

Marrs’ statistics highlight her strong work ethic and determination, both of which have increased greatly over her four years as a Bison. She has found tremendous success in a starting position since her sophomore year and now impacts her team daily as a co-captain tied for seventh in program history in career sprints won and 14th in career assists.

“I have learned a lot of new skills and strategies from Coach McBride. I have also gotten a lot more confident in myself since my freshman year. Having such a great team to practice and compete with has definitely helped me improve my confidence,” Marrs said.

Marrs has been a pivotal member of the Bison squad all four years, yet she attributes her success to the amazing players around her. Everyday she is motivated to push herself so that her entire team benefits and can bring home a collective victory to Lewisburg. Her prominent success has enabled her to provide advice to the younger players on the team who are eager to emulate their captain.

“The younger players have to have confidence in themselves and know that every one of them has an important role on this team,” Marrs said.

With 10 underclassmen, the team will surely find these words to be valuable as the Bison head into the heart of their season. Next up, the Orange and Blue will host the Bison Invitational Feb. 27-28, where they will aim to record a perfect 4-0 record in Kinney Natatorium.

2016 Stats:

18 Goals

12 Assists

30 Points Total

Career Stats:

102 Goals

91 Assists

193 Points Total

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