GROVE CITY, Pa. -- Six seasoned veterans will help lead the Grove City College women's water polo team into the 2026 season as the Wolverines look to contend in the Collegiate Water Polo Association's Division III conference.
Grove City returns senior
Lea Steen (Schaumburg, Ill./Schaumburg) for her fourth season as the Wolverines' starting goalie. Steen has anchored the Grove City defense since her rookie season and is one of the most experienced netminders in CWPA Division III.
The Wolverines also return plenty of offensive firepower as junior
Shastyn Tihansky (Hazleton, Pa./Hazleton) and sophomore
Frances Baksa (Longwood, Fla./Lake Mary) are back after combining for 126 goals in 2025.
Tihansky led Grove City with 69 goals as a sophomore. She also scored a team-leading 69 times in 2024. Baksa burst on the CWPA scene with 57 goals in her freshman season.
Injuries sidelined senior
Kiley Sill (Virginia Beach, Va./Princess Anne) during the second half of last season but she still led the team in assists for the second straight season. Sill tallied 23 assists, along with 19 goals, in 2025. She has 82 career goals and 63 assists during her first three seasons.
Classmate
Candace Scalise (Clarence, N.Y./Clarence) posted eight goals and five assists from her driver position in 2025. A three-year letterwinner, Scalise has the inside track to a starting job this spring.
Grove City also welcomes back sophomore
Emma Strahorn (Harleysville, Pa./North Penn) to the starting lineup. Strahorn became an immediate contributor in 2025, tying for second on the team with 17 assists. She added eight goals and will be counted on for greater production this spring.
Three newcomers round out the 2026 roster:
Amelia Hervey (Naperville, Ill./Metea Valley),
Emily Addison (Eads, Tenn./Faith Heritage Christian) and
Olivia Rehm (Hatfield, Pa./North Penn). All three are expected to challenge for time in the lineup this year.
Grove City opens the season Saturday, February 14 at Macalester (Minn.). The home and CWPA Division III schedules begin Friday, March 6 against longtime rival Washington & Jefferson.
