BRIDGEPORT, Pennsylvania -- The Marist water polo team enters the 2018 season ranked #23 in the country in the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Women's Varisty Preseason Poll as was released on Friday. 

The ranking marks the first time the Red Foxes have been included in the organizations preseason poll since 2011 when Marist entered the season at #20. 

The Red Foxes returned to campus roughly a week before Spring semester classes began on Monday, Jan 8 to start practicing ahead of their 2018 season opening tournament, the Rainbow Invite which will be held at the University of Hawaii on Saturday, Jan 20 and Sunday, Jan 21. 

Fourteen players from last season's team return in 2018, including last year's third and fourth leading goal scorers in junior Grace Doerfler (40) and sophomore Justine Castro (31), the most steals and second most assists in 2016 in senior co-captain Diana Carballo and all three goalies (senior Jessica Hermosillo, junior Hope Vickers and sophomore Carsen Horvatich) from last season who combined for 243 saves to go along with 10 assists and 26 steals. 

The team added five newcomers in four freshmen (Lauren Smith, Aminadi Anorve, Katelin Harris & Isabella Vucurevic) and one sophomore (Megan Clarke) that bring multiple Junior Olympic Top 10 finishes along with a CIF Division 3 Champion and multiple CIF First and Second Team selections. 

The Red Foxes finished the 2017 season at 20-14 (11-3 MAAC), which was the program's best overall record since 2013. Marist appeared in the MAAC Tournament for the 14^thconsecutive year and advanced to the Championship game for the fourth straight season.

This season, Marist will play in six tournaments in Hawaii, Michigan, Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York and Indiana before opening Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play, against opponents that include three 2017 NCAA Tournament participants (Cal, UCLA & Michigan) and the '17 National Runner Up (UCLA). The team will then wrap up its non-conference schedule with a trip to California, before finishing up their conference slate.