The final stats have been compiled and added to this year’s Big West Women’s Water Polo record book with many new names and career holders taking the top slots in 2013! Hawai’i senior Monika Eggens worked hard her single season in the Big West and landed the top spot for total goals in a single season (101), goals per game (3.06), tied for most goals scored in a single tournament game (5) and total tournament goals (9). Senior goalkeeper for the Gauchos, Ruth Milne left a legacy in Big West career records with most saves (1187) and most minutes played (3472). UC Davis’ Carmen Eggert finished her four years ranked top 10 in Big West history for single-season high in goals (80), goals per game (2.50), tied for first in tournament goals (9) and single-game tournament goals (5). Teammate Jessica Dunn holds the No. 1 slot for career goals scored with 208 and most career tournament goals (19) as Eggert comes in third with 189 career goals.
HANDFUL TO COMPETE AT NATIONAL LEVEL
The rosters are out and the Big West makes a splash both on the USA Water Polo team as well as international rosters. A pair of Anteaters, junior Danielle Warde and Jessy Cardey each earned a spot on one of the two US squads as well as volunteer assistant coach Jillian Kraus making a showing on the roster. Joining them in the waters is UC Davis senior attacker Carmen Eggert and San Diego State’s Amber Pezzolla. Internationally the Big West Champions will set out to compete for their given countries from Hawai’i: Monika Eggens (Canada-senior national), Paula Chillida-Esforzado (Spain-senior/junior national), Danielle Lewis (New Zealand-senior national) and Emily Carr (Australia-junior national). Pacific’s Michele Relton who will be playing with the Canadian Senior National team this summer.
HAWAI’I COMPETES AT THE BIG DANCE
The Rainbow Wahine entered the postseason as the No. 4 seed and began their quest at the 2013 NCAA Championships with a 13-6 quarterfinal win over UC San Diego at Blodgett Pool on the campus of Harvard University. They went on to face top seeded USC, unable to keep up in a 16-9 loss. The Wahine concluded its 2013 season with a 13-8 loss to UCLA in the third-place match. Monika Eggens was named to the 2013 NCAA Women’s Water Polo Championship All-Tournament First Team.
BIG WEST ALL-CONFERENCE
Hawai’i tabbed two of three Big West specialty awards in Player of the Year Monkia Eggens and Coach of the Year Maureen Cole, while Freshman of the Year went to UC Santa Barnara’s Samantha Murphy, the first Gaucho to receive this award. The honors continued with the announcing of the 2013 Big West All Conference teams with six of the eight squads represented in the first teamers list. The all-conference first team features UC Davis’ Carmen Eggert, who earned recognition for the second straight year, 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.
COSIDA ALL-ACADEMIC & ELITE 89 RECOGNITION
Hawai’i senior Amarens Genee has been voted to the Capital One CoSIDA Academic All-American team, the first Rainbow to reach this achievement in her sport. Genee will be graduating later this year majoring in kinesiology. Most recently Genee received the Elite 89 award handed out at the NCAA Women’s Water Polo Championship Banquet for the player in the tournament with the highest GPA. The Elite 89, founded by the NCAA, recognizes the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the national championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. The Elite 89 is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA championships.