May 8, 2007
Loudonville, N.Y. - Interim head women's water polo coach Ellen Howe announced the commitment of six student-athletes who signed National Letters of Intent to attend Siena beginning in the fall. Alexandra Vespremi (San Diego, Calif./La Jolla High School), Molly Chamberlain (Kingston, Pa./Wyoming Valley West High School), Camille Norman (Bellevue, Wash./Sammamish High School), Nicole Hagi (Kaploei, Hawaii/Kapolei), Ashlie Salas-Selem (Kaploei, Hawaii/Kapolei) and Devan Ragg (Ann Arbor, Mich.) round out the 2008 roster.
Vespremi makes the cross country trip to Loudonville from San Diego, Calif. where she played varsity water polo at La Jolla High School. In her time at La Jolla, Vespremi helped her team to a CIF Division II semifinal appearance in her final two seasons. She earned San Diego Tribune All-Academic Team honors, and was a member of the Wind-n-Sea Water Polo Club. Vespremi will add depth to the squad at the utility position.
"Alex comes from arguably one of the best high school water polo leagues in the U.S.," Howe explains. "She has excellent fundamentals and will be a great addition to the program as a left handed player."
Norman, a 6'1" utility player, is a native of Bellevue, Wash. As a junior, she earned Most Valuable Player honors at Sammamish High School after leading her team with 48 goals. Norman also led the team in assists that season. She was named Second Team All-State and was an All-League selection after this impressive campaign.
"Camille is a true student-athlete with great size and speed. As both a high school soccer and water polo player, she understands the game very well, and is able to use her athleticism in all aspects of game," said Howe.
Salas-Selem, a Hawaiian from Kapolei High School, will play the utility position here at Siena. In both her sophomore and junior seasons, she helped her Kapolei team to an appearance in the Hawaiian State Championship Tournament. Salas-Selem finished her junior campaign leading the Oahu Interscholastic Association (OIA) in scoring. She was an All-OIA honorable mention as a sophomore.
"Ashlie comes from a successful high school career in Hawaii. She has great speed and a tremendous ability to read plays and react to them," said Howe. "Ashlie is an outstanding student, and will be a great addition to the school and program."
Ragg joins the Saints after an impressive playing career at Ann Arbor Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, Mich. As an attacker, she helped the Pioneers to a second place finish at the Michigan State Championships as a sophomore. Ragg also helped guide the squad to a seventh place finish during her junior campaign. At the conclusion of this season, she was named Third Team All-State and an All-Region honorable mention after scoring 53 goals and 48 assists. Ragg was a three time member of the Midwest Youth Girls team (2005, 2006, and 2007).
"Devan comes out of a premier high school water polo team," explains Howe. "She has played with some great players, and has used everything she has learned to really blossom this past season. Devan is a true teammate and a selfless player that will be able to set up our offense with ease."
Chamberlain, a 5'9" attacker from Kingston, Pa., brings an explosive offensive presence to the pool. This past season, she earned Third Team All-State honors after helping Wyoming Valley West High School to a seventh place finish in the Pennsylvania State Championships. Chamberlain also excelled in swimming as she qualified for the state swimming championships all four years.
"Molly is an excellent teammate and plays a very high energy game. Her speed and athleticism will help her transition to college level water polo," said Howe.
Hagi is the second Hawaiian in the 2007-08 recruiting class. She is a 5'2" attacker also from Kapolei High School. As a sophomore and junior, she was named First Team All-State after guiding her squad to the Hawaiian State Championship Tournament. She was named to the First Team All-OIA at the conclusion of her sophomore season. Hagi also earned back-to-back team MVP honors as a freshman and sophomore.
"Nicole has excellent speed and is one of the top players out of Hawaii this year," said Howe. "I am excited to see how her quickness translates into offensive and defensive opportunities for our team."
The Siena women's water polo team finished the 2007 campaign with a fifth place finish in the MAAC. The team won 12 games this season which marks the most victories in program history.
