CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – No. 13 women's water polo returns to Blodgett Pool for the first time since Jan. 25 to host the Harvard Invitational over the weekend. Currently sitting at 11-1, the Crimson will welcome Villanova, UC Merced, Princeton, and Marist to Cambridge as part of the tournament.

Harvard will kick off the tournament with Villanova at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday before closing the day with UC Merced at 4:00 p.m. On Sunday, the Crimson will face off against its archrival, the Princeton Tigers, for the first time this season before closing the day with Marist at 4:00 p.m. All tournament games will be streamed on ESPN+.

The Crimson will honor the Class of 2026 on Sunday afternoon against Marist as part of its Senior Day celebration, where Heidi Heffelfinger, Ella Schneider, and Sutchie Ofori-Nyako will be recognized.

WHAT TO KNOW

• Currently sitting at 12-1, the Crimson started the season at 11-0. It marks the best start for the program since at least 2004.
• Harvard also jumped to No. 7 in last week's CWPA weekly poll — the highest ranking in program history. The Crimson broke a record it set last year when it checked in at No. 8.
• This weekend the Crimson fell to No. 13 after the loss to Michigan. 
• Last weekend, the Crimson suffered its first loss of the season to No. 14 Michigan but won three of four games in its first conference weekend of the year.
• Winning both games on Saturday, the Crimson defeated Bucknell and Saint Francis by a combined score of 31-11.
• Harvard jumped out to a hot start against Saint Francis, leading 9-1 at the half. Lucy Levenberg-Penklis led the way with a goal in each quarter, while Heidi Heffelfinger and Ella Schneider both added hat tricks.
• On Sunday morning, the Crimson lost a 14-13 nail-biter to No. 14 Michigan for its first loss of the season. The Crimson battled back after trailing 5-1 after the first, 9-3 after the second, and 12-6 after the third.
• The Crimson finished the weekend with a 16-6 win over Mercyhurst.
• Earlier this season, Harvard beat Villanova in Philadelphia by a score of 18-8.
• The Crimson and Tigers will meet for the first and only time this season on Sunday morning.
• Princeton is currently 12-0 and sits at 2-0 in conference play.

NEXT UP
Harvard hosts Siena next Saturday before its final home game of the regular season against VMI on Sunday.