Eight Players Garner AWPCA All-America Honors
May 26, 2004 | Women's Water Polo
May 26, 2004
LOS ANGELES -- Eight USC women's water polo players received 2004 All-America honors, according to the American Water Polo Coaches Association. Sophomore two-meter Moriah Van Norman, who earned the 2004 Peter J. Cutino Award Saturday as the top collegiate female player in the nation, was named Division I Player of the Year.
Van Norman and goalie Kelly Graff earned All-America first team honors while freshmen Erika Figge and Brittany Hayes and junior Anna Pardo earned second team honors. Eszter Gyori, Liz Simms and Lauren Wenger received honorable mention status.
This season, Van Norman was second on the team in scoring with 58 goals and named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship Player of the Year, along with being named MPSF Championship MVP. She was named MPSF/Mikasa Player of the Week twice this season. Van Norman has appeared in USA Water Polo's Top 40 Festival twice and has been a key player for the U.S. Junior National Team the past two years. She also helped the U.S. to its fourth-straight Holiday Cup championship last December.
The Women of Troy won the 2004 NCAA Championship, going undefeated (29-0) in the process. USC won its second national championship after winning the 1999 National Collegiate Championship (women's water polo was not an NCAA-sponsored championship until 2001).
