The Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) announced its 2009 Division I All-America squads Thursday, and six players represented the Big West led by Cal State Northridge's Jillian Stapf being named a third team All-American.
Stapf led the Big West with 387 saves and 11.6 saves per game in 2009 en route to All-Big West First Team accolades. She was instrumental in leading the league's top-ranked defense, which allowed opponents to score 7.1 goals per game. Stapf's 387 saves was a school record, raising her career total in three seasons to 1,012. She is also the school's career record holder for saves.
Stapf had 10 or more saves in 22 games this season, including a career-high 20 against UC Davis on Mar. 29. She is the first Matador to earn first, second or third team All-American status other than honorable mention accolades.
Lindsay Kiyama and Dakotah Mohr of UC Davis, Sydney Sonoda and Jessica Coy of Cal State Northridge, and Gillian Morgan of UC Santa Barbara were selected honorable mention All-Americans by the ACWPC.
Kiyama earned the honorable mention award for the second consecutive year. The senior attacker led the Aggies and ranked fifth in the Big West with 53 goals. She finished her Aggie career as one of the all-time top scorers, posting 120 goals. Kiyama also was a first team all-conference selection.
Mohr, a center from nearby Davis High School, had a standout sophomore campaign in which she notched 42 goals in 33 games. She also had 133 drawn exclusions to obliterate the school record of 92. Mohr received All-Big West Second Team acclaim, coming off of a 2008 season in which she was the Western Water Polo Association Freshman of the Year.
In addition to Stapf's contributions, the Matadors were able to post a 20-16 record this year behind the work of Coy and Sonoda.
Both Matadors earned all-conference second team accolades. Coy was one of the top offensive players in the Big West, ranking fourth with 55 goals while also dishing out 47 assists. The senior had a career-high four goals twice in games against Princeton and Indiana. Coy concluded her four-year career at CSUN with 160 goals, third-most in school history.
Sonoda, a sophomore, placed 10th in the Big West and third on the team with 37 goals. She set a school record with 74 exclusions drawn. Sonoda also earned a career-high four goals on two occasions - at Cal Lutheran and against Cal State Monterey Bay.
Morgan had a prolific senior season for the Gauchos, leading an impressive turnaround that saw the team improve by 11 wins from 2008 to 2009. UCSB finished 17-12 overall. She scored a school record 83 goals to lead the Big West. She also topped the conference circuit with 2.86 goals per game. The All-Big West First Team selection led the Gauchos in scoring in 19 of 29 games.
The top national awards went to UCLA as Adam Krikorian was named Coach of the Year and Tanya Gandy Player of the Year.
To access the complete ACWPC All-American teams, please click on the PDF link above.
ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGIATE WATER POLO COACHES
2009 ALL-AMERICAN TEAMS
(Big West representatives only)
THIRD TEAM
Jillian Stapf, Cal State Northridge
HONORABLE MENTION
Jessica Coy, Cal State Northridge
Lindsay Kiyama, UC Davis
Dakotah Mohr, UC Davis
Gillian Morgan, UC Santa Barbara
Sydney Sonoda, Cal State Northridge