2026 Big West Women's Water Polo Awards 
The Big West proudly announces its 2026 women's water polo major award winners and All-Big West teams following another competitive season across the league. The awards and teams were voted on by the conference's eight head coaches.

Agatha Weston of Hawai'i headlines the conference's top honors as the 2026 Big West Player of the Year. The Christchurch, New Zealand native totaled 51 goals on the season, tying for eighth in the conference, while adding 31 steals and 13 field blocks. Weston averaged 2.5 goals per game and 1.6 steals per contest, anchoring the Rainbow Wahine on both ends of the pool.

Hawai'i also claims Freshman of the Year honors as Ariadna Temprano Xambo earns the distinction following an impressive debut campaign. The Barcelona, Spain native registered 43 goals while adding 36 assists, tied for sixth in the conference, and 79 total points (3.8 points per game). 

At the helm, James Robinson is named Big West Coach of the Year after guiding Hawai'i to a dominant season as both the regular-season and postseason champions. The Rainbow Wahine went a perfect 5-0 in conference play, securing the regular-season title before capturing their third consecutive Big West Championship to complete the three-peat. 

The All-Big West First Team features a strong Hawai'i contingent, including Weston, Temprano Xambo, Daisy Logtens, and Ema Vernoux. Logtens, a junior goalkeeper from Uden, Netherlands, recorded 155 saves, ranking sixth in the conference, while posting a 9.84 goals-against average and a .464 save percentage. Vernoux, the reigning Big West Women's Water Polo Freshman of the Year from Marseille, France, averaged 2.2 goals per game, continuing to pace Hawai'i's offense.

Long Beach State places three student-athletes on the first team in Chiara Amoroso, Lucy Miszewski, and Elisa Portillo. Portillo led The Big West with 74 goals while adding 54 assists for a conference-best 128 points. The Madrid, Spain native also tallied 40 steals, tying for the league lead.

Miszewski followed with 67 goals, ranking third in the conference, while adding 36 assists for 103 total points. The sophomore also dominated in the sprint with 69 wins and a .784 win percentage.Amoroso added 62 goals, good for fifth in the conference, while totaling 84 points and seven field blocks, averaging 2.2 goals per game as a key two-way contributor.

UC Irvine's Lauren Hett rounds out the first team after a dominant season. The Orinda, Calif. native finished second in the conference with 73 goals while adding 39 assists for 112 total points. Hett also led the league with 24 field blocks and recorded 34 steals.

The All-Big West Second Team highlights additional standout performers across the conference. UC Davis is represented by Chelsea Johnson and Gianna Nocetti, while UC Irvine adds Sara Naulty and Madi O'Hara. Hawai'i's Raha Peiravani earns second team honors alongside Long Beach State's Daniela Quinzada and Polina Synytsia.

Johnson, a junior center/defender from Brisbane, Australia, totaled 53 goals, ranking seventh in the conference, while adding 30 steals. Nocetti, a redshirt senior attacker from Carmichael, Calif., recorded 51 goals and 40 assists for 91 points, ranking fifth in the league, while leading all players with 76 sprint wins and an .800 sprint win percentage.

Naulty dished out 31 assists, ranking among the conference leaders, while O'Hara netted 28 goals for UCI this season in 2026. 

Peiravani recorded 29 goals on the year to go along with seven field blocks, tied for the conference lead, while anchoring Hawai'i's center position on both ends of the pool. 

Quinzada totaled 13 goals in conference play, contributing key offensive depth for the Beach. Synytsia, a freshman goalkeeper from Kharkiv, Ukraine, recorded 204 saves, ranking second in the conference, alongside a .468 save percentage and 10.16 goals-against average.

Honorable mention recognition was awarded to Lotte Boxsem, Emily Cloherty, Mira Dravucz, Elyana Goren, Rita Gurri, Destiny Hernandez, Cami Mras, Sydney Munatones, Abigail Schechter, Erika Staine, Eva Stein, and Ashley Wallin for their admirable performances during the 2026 campaign.

The All-Freshman Team features HanaLora Abel, Mira Dravucz, Asimina Klapsianou, Caitlin Stayt, Polina Synytsia, Ariadna Temprano Xambo, and Michelle Urkov.

Dravucz led all freshman, and ranked fourth in the conference overall, with 63 goals, establishing the CSUN attacker as one of the top young scorers in the league. Synytsia made an immediate impact in the cage for Long Beach State, totaling 204 saves, second-most in the conference, while posting a .468 save percentage. Temprano Xambo added 43 goals and 36 assists, finishing among the top 10 in points with 79, while Klapsianou (12 goals) contributed valuable minutes at center for Hawai'i's championship squad. Abel (23 goals) provided offensive depth for UC Davis, while Stayt and Urkov scored 18 and 27 tallies, respectively, for their teams. 

For the third time in a row, Big West champion Hawai'i secured its place among the nation's elite, earning a berth in the 2026 National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Championship. This marks the first time in program history that the Rainbow Wahine have earned three consecutive appearances in the national tournament.

Hawai'i will face California (14-7) in the opening round, set for April 24-26 in La Jolla, Calif., renewing a recent postseason matchup between the two programs.

This year's National Collegiate field features six automatic qualifiers and three at-large selections. Seven teams advance directly to the championship bracket, while two teams will compete in an Opening Round game on April 22. The winner will move on to the quarterfinals on April 26, followed by semifinal matchups on April 27 and the NCAA Championship game on April 28 at 6 p.m. PT. All matches will be held at Canyonview Pool in San Diego, with early rounds streaming on NCAA.com and the title match televised on ESPNU and available on ESPN+. 

2026 All-Big West First Team
Student-Athlete	Year	Position	Institution	Hometown
Chiara Amoroso	Jr.	UTL	Long Beach State	Newport Beach, Calif.
Lauren Hett	Jr.	ATK	UC Irvine	Orinda, Calif.
Daisy Logtens	Jr.	ATK	Hawai'i	Uden, Netherlands
Lucy Miszewski	Sr.	ATK	Long Beach State	Cape Town, South Africa
Elisa Portillo	Sr.	ATK	Long Beach State	Madrid, Spain
Éma Vernoux	Jr.	ATK	Hawai'i	Marseille, France
Agatha Weston	R-So.	UTL	Hawai'i	Christchurch, New Zealand
Ariadna Xambo Temprano	Fr.	UTL	Hawai'i	Barcelona, Spain
2026 All-Big West Second Team
Student-Athlete	Year	Position	Institution	Hometown
Chelsea Johnson	Jr.	CEN/DEF	UC Davis	Brisbane, Australia
Sara Naulty	Jr.	ATK	UC Irvine	Tustin, Calif.
Gianna Nocetti	R-Sr.	ATK	UC Davis	Carmichael, Calif.
Madi O'Hara	R-Sr.	UTL	UC Irvine	Corona, Calif.
Raha Peirvani	Sr.	CEN	Hawai'i	North Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Daniela Quinzada	S.	UTL	Long Beach State	Barcelona, Spain
Polina Synytsia	Fr.	GK	Long Beach State	Kharkiv, Ukraine
Honorable Mention: Lotte Boxsem (Cal State Fullerton, Fr. CEN), Emily Cloherty (UC San Diego, Jr. ATK), Mira Dravucz (CSUN, Fr., ATK), Elyana Goren (Long Beach State, Sr., UTL), Rita Gurri (Long Beach State, So., DEF), Destiny Hernandez (Cal State Fullerton, Sr. UTL), Cami Mras (UC Santa Barbara, Sr., UTL), Sydney Munatones (UC San Diego, Sr., ATK), Abigail Schecther (UC San Diego, Jr., ATK), Erika Staine (CSUN, Jr., GK), Eva Stein (UC Davis, R-So., GK), Ashley Wallin (UC Davis, Jr., UTL)
All-Freshman Team: HanaLora Abel (UC Davis, UTL), Mira Dravucz (CSUN, ATK), Asimina Klapsianou (Hawai'i, CEN), Caitlin Stayt (UC San Diego, ATK), Polina Synytsia (Long Beach State, GK), Ariadna Temprano Xambo (Hawai'i), Michelle Urkov (UC Irvine, ATK)