Declan Bartlett Claims Pair of MAWPC Weekly Awards After Big Weekend for Navy Water Polo
Navy water polo freshman Declan Bartlett continues to make an immediate impact for the Midshipmen.
The Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference named Bartlett its Co-Offensive Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week following his standout performance at the Princeton Invitational. It marks Bartlett’s first career Offensive Player of the Week honor and his second Rookie of the Week award in the opening weeks of his freshman season.
The Newport Beach, California, native led Navy with nine goals while adding three assists for 12 points during three games at the Princeton Invitational. Navy went 2-1 during the weekend, improving to 7-1 overall with victories over LIU and No. 18 Harvard after suffering its first loss of the season against No. 12 Princeton.
Bartlett Shines Against Ranked Competition
Bartlett did some of his best work against Navy’s toughest opponents.
Navy opened the Princeton Invitational against No. 12 Princeton, and Bartlett helped the Midshipmen nearly knock off the nationally ranked Tigers. Princeton escaped with a 16-15 victory, but Bartlett produced a team-high six points with four goals and two assists.
The four goals represented a season high for Bartlett at the time. It would last for only one more game.
Navy responded to the Princeton loss later Saturday with a dominant 22-8 victory over LIU before turning its attention toward another nationally ranked opponent Sunday. The Midshipmen entered their matchup with No. 18 Harvard searching for their first victory over a ranked team this season.
Bartlett delivered his biggest performance yet.
The freshman scored a season-high five goals as Navy defeated Harvard, 17-13, at DeNunzio Pool. Eight Midshipmen scored in the victory, but Bartlett led all scorers and helped Navy establish a 10-7 halftime advantage before the Midshipmen eventually pushed their lead to 15-8 during the third quarter.
Bartlett scored three times during the opening half. His production helped Navy take control of a game that resulted in an important early-season ranked victory.
Freshman Making Immediate Impact
Bartlett’s performance at Princeton continued an impressive start to his collegiate career.
He earned his first MAWPC Rookie of the Week honor following the Navy Open earlier this month. Navy swept all three conference awards that week, with Quinn Bartlett earning Offensive Player of the Week, Ryan Munch receiving Defensive Player of the Week and Declan Bartlett claiming Rookie of the Week.
Bartlett recorded his first collegiate hat trick during Navy’s 13-9 victory over Johns Hopkins on Sept. 5. He finished that game with three goals as the Bartlett brothers combined for seven, with Quinn scoring four. Declan finished Navy’s two games that day with five goals.
Navy completed the season-opening Navy Open at 5-0 before heading to Princeton for its first road trip. The Midshipmen then went 2-1 against a much more challenging field at the Princeton Invitational.
Through the first eight games, Navy sits at 7-1, with its only defeat coming by a single goal against No. 12 Princeton.
Bartlett Brothers Giving Navy Plenty of Firepower
Declan is not the only Bartlett making an impact for the Midshipmen.
His older brother, Quinn, has also been an important part of Navy’s attack. Quinn earned MAWPC Offensive Player of the Week following the Navy Open, making the Bartlett brothers conference offensive award winners in consecutive weeks.
Their production was already evident during the victory over Johns Hopkins, when the brothers combined for seven of Navy’s 13 goals. Both also scored during Navy’s win over Harvard, including consecutive goals late in the opening quarter that gave the Midshipmen a 6-3 advantage.
For Declan, however, the opening weeks have represented an especially fast transition into college water polo. He has already recorded multiple hat tricks, earned two Rookie of the Week awards and now added an Offensive Player of the Week honor.
Navy Heads West
The Midshipmen now have some time before returning to competition.
Navy’s next scheduled game is Sept. 24 at Air Force in Colorado Springs. The Midshipmen will then travel to California for the UC Irvine Invitational, where they are scheduled to face Santa Clara and Loyola Marymount on Sept. 26 before playing UC Irvine on Sept. 27.
That stretch will give Navy another opportunity to test itself away from Annapolis after an encouraging showing at Princeton.
MSB Take
Bartlett is wasting little time establishing himself as one of Navy’s young players to watch.
Nine goals and 12 points across three games would have been an impressive weekend under any circumstances. Producing nine goals while facing two nationally ranked opponents makes it even more noteworthy.
His response against Harvard stood out. After scoring four goals against Princeton, Bartlett followed with five against the No. 18 Crimson and helped Navy earn its first ranked victory of the season. That is a strong early indication that the freshman is comfortable playing important minutes against quality competition.
Navy is 7-1, its only loss was a one-goal game against No. 12 Princeton, and Bartlett has already collected three weekly conference honors. The season is still young, but his start has given the Midshipmen another dangerous offensive option as the schedule gets tougher.
