2021 Women's Water Polo All-Conference Team

The Big West announced its 2021 Women's Water Polo All-Conference Team Thursday, headlined by the first recipient of the Player of the Year award in UC San Diego program history as well as a pair of award winners from Hawaii. The league’s Player of the Year award went to UC San Diego’s center CIARA FRANKE, while the Big West Champion Rainbow Wahine claimed two individual conference awards, winning both the Coach of the Year award with Head Coach MAUREEN COLE and Freshman of the Year with attacker LUCIA GOMEZ DE LA PUENTE.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR • CIARA FRANKE, UC SAN DIEGO

Senior • Center • San Diego, Calif. • La Jolla HS

• Finished with the most goals scored during the season, tallying 34 goals for UC San Diego en route to a second-place fiinish duringthe regular season. 

• First Triton to win Big West Player of the Year

• Ranks second in the Big West in total points with 41 and averaged 2.4 points per game

• Was recognized as the Confernece Player of the Week for the week of March 31st, after leading the Tritons to  two vicotires over the Guachos of UC Santa Barbara.

• Led the Tritons with 22 steals during the season.

• Recognized as UC San Diego’s Scholar Athlete of the Year 

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR • LUCIA GOMEZ DE LA PUENTE, HAWAI’I

Attacker • Madrid, Spain • IES Ortega Y Gasset

• Third member of the Rainbow Wahine to win Freshman of the Year award (Chloe Barr - 2013, Irene Gonzalez - 2016)

• Ranks second in the Big West in assists (20), tied for second in points (41), and tied for fourth in points per game (1.8)

• Named Big West Player of the Week for the week of April 7th, after leading Hawai’ito two wins over Long Beach State

• Scored a hat-trick in the Big West Championship  game against UC Irvine en route to Hawai’i’s fourth title in the last eight years (2013, 2015, 2019)

• Led the Rainbow Wahine in goals during the season with 21

COACH OF THE YEAR • MAUREEN COLE, HAWAI’I

• Third time being recognized as the Big West Coach of the Year (2013, 2019) 

• Led Hawai’i to an 11-game winning streak en route to their fourth title in program history (2013, 2015, 2019)

• Led the Rainbow Wahine to the No.  1 overall seed in the Big West Championsip 

• The 11-1 record (.917), including a 9-1 regular season record is a program record for winning percentage in a single season