Women's Water Polo Awards Have Familiar Look

Files associated with this release:
2012 Women's Water Polo All-Conference Team

5/4/2012

UC Irvine maintained its status as the Big West’s top women’s water polo program as two of the premier awards were handed out to Jessy Cardey as Player of the Year and Dan Klatt as Coach of the Year.  Cal State Northridge sensation Marisa Young also grabbed headlines as the league’s Freshman of the Year, as the announcement of the 2012 all-conference team took place today.

Cardey is a repeat recipient of the Big West Player of the Year award.  The junior attacker led the Anteaters and ranked second in the Big West with 66 goals in 2012.  She scored at least one goal in 27 of UC Irvine’s 30 contests and netted multiple goals on 19 occasions.  Cardey scored in 19 straight games to open the 2012 campaign.  She was named Most Valuable Player of the Big West Tournament after leading the Anteaters to the championship with seven goals in two matches, including four in the title game against UC Davis.  Cardey’s 66 goals this season pushed her career total to 158, ranking her third on the Big West career list.  She also placed eighth on the conference’s single-season chart in goals scored.

Young, a native of Fountain Valley, Calif., becomes the first Matador to claim Freshman of the Year accolades.  She ranked third in the Big West with 65 goals.  The center also recorded 12 assists, 28 steals and a team-leading 64 kickouts for the season.  Her 65 goals tied for the sixth-best total in CSUN history while qualifying her for ninth-most in Big West history.  Young’s production helped the Matadors finish the year with a school record 378 goals, surpassing the old mark of 371 by the 2010 squad.

Klatt earned his fourth straight Coach of the Year citation as the architect of UC Irvine’s success.  The eighth-year mentor guided the Anteaters to a school record 24 victories, their fourth consecutive Big West Tournament championship and a second straight berth into the NCAA Championship.  UCI went undefeated (5-0) in conference play for the second straight year and extended its winning streak to 20 straight against Big West foes, counting both conference regular season and tournament matchups.  Klatt’s troops have been ranked No. 6 in the Collegiate Water Polo Association poll for eight straight weeks.  The No. 6 ranking is the highest for a Big West school since the conference began sponsoring the sport in 2009.

The all-conference first team features Cardey, who earned recognition for the third straight year, and teammate Danielle Warde, a two-time recipient.  UCI led all Big West schools with four first-teamers, including senior Katie Croghan and junior Kelsey Klatt.  Two UC Davis players – juniors Jessica Dunn and Carmen Eggert – were also honored on the first team.  Rounding out the first team were Cal State Northridge senior Heidi Pettinger and sophomore Jenny Jamison, as well as UC Santa Barbara junior Ruth Milne.

The complete 2012 Big West women’s water polo all-conference team can be accessed by clicking on the above link.

2012 BIG WEST WOMEN’S WATER POLO ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM