Seven Women of Troy Named All-Americans
June 08, 2006 | Women's Water Polo
June 8, 2006
USC senior Moriah Van Norman has received First Team All-America honors for the third straight season, and is joined by fellow senior and Peter J. Cutino Award winner Lauren Wenger on the First Team, as announced by the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches this week. The USC women's water polo team had a grand total of seven players receive All-America honors, marking the second most recipients in program history. USC held a 25-game winning streak in 2006 and reached the NCAA Championship game, where the Trojans fell in the last second to UCLA to finish the season with a 27-3 overall record.
Junior Brittany Hayes was named to the All-America Second Team, and junior Erika Figge was a Third Team honoree, while three Trojans received All-America Honorable Mention in their first seasons with the Women of Troy. On the Honorable Mention list for USC were junior transfer Patty Cardenas, freshman Kami Craig and redshirt freshman Whitney Morgan.
Moriah Van Norman -- a member of the U.S. National Team -- is just the second Trojan to be named an All-American all four years at USC, joining Aniko Pelle with one Second Team and three consecutive First Team selections. Van Norman was USC's go-to player at 2-meters once again, racking up 52 goals from the competitive center position to finish as USC's second leading scorer this year. With six goals at the NCAA Tournament, the senior took over as USC's all-time No. 3 career scoring leader with 215 career goals. She was selected to the NCAA All-Tournament First Team, MPSF All-Tournament Team and All-MPSF First Team. She ranked No. 38 in the nation and No. 12 in the MPSF in scoring with 1.79 goals per game. She scored in 26 of USC's 30 games with 15 multiple-goal performances.
Lauren Wenger also is a member of the U.S. National Team and recently joined Van Norman in the history books as the 2006 Peter J. Cutino Award winner. Van Norman won collegiate water polo's top honor as a 2004 sophomore. Wenger is the first 2-meter defender to win the Cutino Award. This year, Wenger became USC's No. 8 all-time career scoring leader with a 37-goal season that bumps her career total to 127 goals. USC's defensive anchor at two meters and beyond, Wenger was the Trojans' leader in steals and assists in her senior year. She was selected to the NCAA All-Tournament First Team, MPSF All-Tournament Team and All-MPSF First Team. She ranked No. 25 in the MPSF in scoring with 1.28 goals per game. She scored in 24 of USC's 30 games with 10 multiple-goal performances. This is her first All-America First Team selection, as she received honorable mention in 2004 and was named to the third team in 2005.
Another U.S. National Team athlete, Brittany Hayes was a Cutino Award finalist the past two years, and this is her third All-America selection. She was on the first team last year and was a second team selection as a 2004 freshman. This year, Hayes was a reliable top gun for USC again, leading the team in scoring with 55 goals this season. The junior lefty also moved up to sit at No. 6 all-time on USC's career scoring charts with 165 career goals. She was selected to the NCAA All-Tournament Second Team and All-MPSF Second Team. She also has been named a Peter J. Cutino Award Finalist this year. She ranks No. 34 in the nation in scoring with 55 goals (1.9 goals per game) and No. 8 in the MPSF. She scored in 27 games with 18 multiple-goal performances.
Erika Figge also has received All-America nods in her first three years at USC. She was a second team selection as a 2004 freshman and received honorable mention in 2005. This year, she is a Third Team honoree. Also a member of the U.S. National Team, Figge was again an all-around force for USC, scoring 22 goals in her junior year and helping out with numerous assists and steal. USC's main sprinter, Figge won almost all her opening sprints, including a 4-for-4 performance in the NCAA Championship game. She was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Second Team and received All-MPSF Honorable Mention. She scored in 17 games with three multiple-goal performances.
Two of USC's three newcomers to receive All-America Honorable Mention also are playing with the U.S. National Team this summer. Patty Cardenas established herself as an immediate threat in her first season at Troy. She was the Trojans' third leading scorer with 40 goals thanks in part to her sharp-shooting on 6-on-5 opportunities and was USC's primary 4-meter penalty shooter. She ranked No. 20 in the MPSF in scoring with 1.38 goals per game. She scored in 22 games with 14 multiple-goal performances. Kami Craig joins Van Norman in Team USA's 2-meter ranks this summer, after finishing as the USC's fourth leading scorer with 38 goals in her freshman season. She was named to the MPSF All-Freshman Team and ranked No. 23 in the conference in scoring with 1.31 goals per game. She scored in 24 games with nine multiple-goal performances.
As a redshirt freshman, Whitney Morgan took over the cage with authority in her first year capped up as a goalie for USC. She is USC's third All-America Honorable Mention recipient. Morgan came up big for the Trojans with 201 saves as a redshirt freshman goalie. She started 28 games and averaged 7.2 saves per game and just five goals against per game. She hit a career high of 18 saves against San Diego State. She received All-MPSF Honorable Mention and was named to the MPSF All-Freshman Team. At the NCAA Tournament, she registered the most saves with 25 saves in the tourney. She ranked No. 25 in the nation with her 201 saves and was No. 4 in the MPSF with a 5.04 goals-against average.
Van Norman, Wenger, Hayes, Figge, Cardenas and Craig all have been selected to the U.S. Senior National Team rosters this summer. The six Women of Troy are in line to join Team USA in the FINA World League, FINA World Cup and the Holiday Cup international tournaments this summer.
Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches 2006 Women's All-Americans
Division 1First TeamEmily Feher UCLA GoalieKatie Hansen Stanford FieldThalia Munro UCLA FieldKelly Rulon UCLA FieldIefke Van Belkum Hawaii FieldMoriah Van Norman USC FieldLauren Wenger USC Field
Second TeamCassie Azevedo Long Beach State FieldBrittany Hayes USC FieldChristina Hewko Stanford FieldBronwen Knox Hartwick FieldMeridith McColl Stanford GoalieScotti Shafer Stanford FieldElisie Windes Cal Field
Third TeamMeike De Nooy Hawaii GoalieErika Figge USC FieldKristina Kunkel UCLA FieldKelly Mason Hawaii FieldKatherine O'Rourke UC Davis FieldChristine Robinson LMU FieldRowie Webster ASU Field
Honorable MentionLindsey Bacolini Santa Clara FieldAllison Brookes Cal State Northridge FieldTara Campbell Long Beach State FieldPatty Cardenas USC FieldElyse Colgan Princeton FieldKatie Cord Cal FieldKami Craig USC FieldJennifer D'Anna UC Santa Barbara FieldGabrielle Domanic UCLA FieldMegan Gins Bucknell FieldKatie Hicks LMU FieldRobyn Kaake UC Irvine FieldJillian Kraus UCLA FieldLauren Machanis UC Irvine GoalieWhitney Morgan USC GoalieRachel Serna San Diego State FieldLauren Silver Stanford FieldStacey Travous Wagner FieldShana Welch Michigan Field
Coach of the Year: Adam Krikorian, UCLA
Player of the Year: Kelly Rulon, UCLA
