Hawai’i kicked off its first season in the Big West with a splash claiming the tournament title in addition to garnering two of the top awards in Player of the Year Monika Eggens and Coach of the Year Maureen Cole. UC Santa Barbara utility Samantha Murphy put up a stellar performance her first season to be named the 2013 Big West Freshman of the Year, as the conference office announced the women’s water polo all-conference teams today.
Eggens, who was crowned Big West Tournament MVP, scored five of her six goals against UC Irvine for the Big West Tournament title, including the game-winner in the last minute of the second overtime. The 6-2 senior attacker led the conference in goals scored this season with 93 in her 30 appearances, putting her name in the all-time Big West record book at the top of the list for most goals in a season, goals per game (3.10) and most goals scored in the conference tournament (9). Despite opting out of her junior season to train with the Canadian National Team, Eggens holds the record for most career goals (244) at Hawai’i in her three seasons as a Rainbow Wahine.
A San Jose, Calif. native, Murphy is the first Gaucho to claim the Freshman of the Year title. She is ranked third in the Big West this season with 78 goals, averaging 2.23 goals per game, placing her in the top ten of the conference’s single-season record list. The 5-9 utility scored eight goals in her first Big West Tournament appearance, including three on penalty shots. The freshman assisted the Gauchos to a 20-15 record ending her season with 78 goals, 43 assists and 22 steals.
In her third season as head coach of the Rainbow Wahine and first year in the Big West, Cole led her team to a 6-1 league record for a share of Big West regular season title and first-ever Big West Tournament championship. The Rainbow Wahine defeated UC Irvine for the NCAA automatic berth with a second overtime goal with less than a minute to play in the finals. This was the third match up between the Anteaters and Wahine, with all meetings decided by a single goal. Ranked No. 12 in preseason by the Collegiate Water Polo Association, the team climbed to the seventh position as of the April 24th poll. Cole will guide her first team to the postseason as head coach, taking the Rainbow Wahine to their fourth all-time appearance in the NCAA Championship and first since 2009.
The all-conference first team features UC Davis’ Carmen Eggert, who earned recognition for the second straight year. Six of the eight teams are represented on the first team with both Hawai’i and UC Irvine leading all Big West schools with a pair of first-teamers, including Eggens and Amarens Genee of Hawai’i and Hannah Croghan with teammate Jillian Yocum of UC Irvine. Rounding out the first team was Long Beach State’s junior Chelsea Parks, San Diego State’s Amber Pezzolla and sophomore Marisa Young of Cal State Northridge.
The complete 2013 Big West women’s water polo all-conference team is attached above.