IRVINE, Calif. (April 27, 2022) -- The All-Big West women’s water polo teams and major award winners have been announced, four days after the conclusion of The Big West Women’s Water Polo Championship.
 
UC Irvine graduate student Tara Prentice is The Big West Player of the Year. The utility player from Temecula, Calif. compiled 72 goals, 21 assists, 93 points, 70 drawn exclusions and 30 steals so far this season. In conference play, she had 19 goals and 26 points, the most in The Big West in both categories. Prentice won six Player of the Week honors during the season, bringing her career total to nine. Both are Big West records for the weekly honor as no one else has had more than two in a season and five in a career. The Anteaters finished the regular season with a 5-1 record in conference play and claimed The Big West Championship title. Prentice was also placed on the all-conference first team for the third time in her career.
 
Morgan McDowall of Hawai’i is The Big West Freshman of the Year as well as a first teamer. In her first collegiate water polo season, the Whangaparoa, New Zealand product recorded 33 goals. Her 17 goals in conference play were the second most in the league. The Rainbow Wahine finished the season with a perfect 7-0 record in Big West action to take home the regular season title.
 
The Big West Coach of the Year honor will go to UC Irvine’s Dan Klatt. The 18th-year head coach of the Anteaters helmed his team to a 22-6 overall record and 5-1 in conference play to finish in second place during the regular season. UC Irvine won The Big West Championship by defeating CSUN 13-9 in the first round, Long Beach State 11-7 in the semifinals and Hawai’i 11-8 in the title game. The Anteaters were ranked fifth in the nation heading into the conference tournament, including a 14-13 overtime win over then-No. 4 Cal.
 
Joining Prentice and McDowall on the first team is UC San Diego senior center Ciara Franke, Long Beach State senior attacker Orsi Hertzka, Hawai’i center Elyse Lemay-Lavoie, UC Irvine goalkeeper Faith Tedesco, CSUN freshman Dorottya Telek and UC Davis junior center Noelle Wijnbelt.
 
Franke, last season’s Player of the Year, buoyed the Tritons with 53 goals, six assists, 59 points, 29 drawn exclusions and 24 steals. UC San Diego tied for third with a 3-3 record in conference play. Hertzka makes her way back to the All-Big West First Team for the first time since 2018 after amassing 70 goals, 19 assists, 89 points and 22 steals on the season. Her 19 points and 14 goals in conference play were tied for second and third, respectively, in The Big West. The Beach tied for third in the regular season standings with a 3-3 conference record. 
 
Lemay-Lavoie earns her second all-conference first team nod, the first one coming in 2019. She totaled 43 goals on the season. 14 of those came in conference play, tied for third in the league. Telek was the conference leader in goals (77) and points (108). She also had 31 assists, 70 drawn exclusions and 35 steals. Wijnbelt is now a three-time All-Big West First Team honoree after a season with 55 goals, 19 drawn exclusions and 11 steals this season. The Aggies tied for third in the conference with a 3-3 record in league play. Tedesco was the goalkeeper selection on the first team after compiling 161 saves for a .428 save percentage and a goals-against average of 8.63.
 

2022 All-Big West First Team
Student-Athlete	Year	Position	Institution	Hometown
Ciara Franke	Sr.	CTR	UC San Diego	San Diego, Calif.
Orsi Hertzka	Sr.	ATT	Long Beach State	Budapest, Hungary
Elyse Lemay-Lavoie	Sr.	CTR	Hawai'i	Monteral, Canada
Morgan McDowall	Fr.	UTIL	Hawai'i	Whangaparoa, New Zealand
Tara Prentice	Gr.	UTIL	UC Irvine	Temecula, Calif.
Faith Tedesco	Sr.	GK	UC Irvine	Santa Barbara, Calif.
Dorottya Telek	Fr.	CTR	CSUN	Budapest, Hungary
Noelle Wijnbelt	Jr.	CTR	UC Davis	Tustin, Calif.
2022 All-Big West Second Team
Student-Athlete	Year	Position	Institution	Hometown
Alba Bonamusa Boix	Sr.	CTR	Hawai'i	Barcelona, Spain
Bennett Bugelli	Gr.	GK	UC San Diego	La Jolla, Calif.
Elena Flynn	R-Fr.	ATT	UC Irvine	San Jose, Calif.
Lena Kotanchyan	Sr.	ATT	Long Beach State	Moscow, Russia
Lara Luka	So.	UTIL	Hawai'i	Belgrade, Serbia
Jessica Lynch	Sr.	ATT	UC Irvine	Newport Beach, Calif.
Piper Smith	Jr.	CTR	UC Irvine	Santa Barbara, Calif.
Honorable Mention: Emily Aikema (UC Davis), Annika Arroyo (UC San Diego), Allyson Clague (UC Davis), Molly DiLalla (Hawai’i), Alyssa Lengtat (UC Davis), Taylor Onstott (UC San Diego), Caitlyn Snyder (UC Santa Barbara), Marilia Mimides (Long Beach State), Paula Prats Rodriguez (Hawai’i);
All-Freshman Team: Elena Flynn (UC Irvine), Morgan McDowall (Hawai’i), Courtney Okumura (UC San Diego), Anna Pal (CSUN), Paula Prats Rodriguez (Hawai’i), Dorottya Telek (CSUN), Kendall Thomas (UC San Diego);