Eight All-Americans Shine for NCAA Champs
July 29, 2010 | Women's Water Polo
July 29, 2010
USC has nailed its program record with eight players named ACWPC All-Americans for the Trojans' 2010 NCAA Championship season. Headlined by National Player of the Year honors bestowed upon senior Kami Craig and another National Coach of the Year selection for head coach Jovan Vavic, the Women of Troy came away from 2010 fully loaded with awards and honors.
Kami Craig becomes just the second Trojan to be named the National Player of the Year, joining 1999 honoree Bernice Orwig. Jovan Vavic now holds three selections as the National Women's Coach of the Year - each of which has followed national championships for his Women of Troy (1999, 2004 and 2010). The 2010 NCAA champs also secured All-American honors for seven other Trojans. Senior Tumua Anae and junior Joelle Bekhazi are both First Team All-Americans along with Craig. Junior Kristen Dronberger has been named to the Second Team, and senior Forel Davies is on the Third Team. That leads in to a trio of Trojans earning Honorable Mention: seniors Alexandra Kiss and Kally Lucas and freshman Patricia Jancso.
This year marks the first All-American honors for all three Honorable Mention recipients, Kiss, Lucas and Jancso. Craig stands out as a four-time All-American honoree, followed by three-time All-American Anae, and two-time recipients Bekhazi, Davies and Dronberger.
For Jovan Vavic, his 2010 pick as the National Coach of the Year rounds out a run of three sweeps. He also was named the 2010 MPSF Coach of the Year, and picked up both conference and national coach of the year awards in 1999 and 2004 during USC's previous two national championship seasons. He now holds a career record of 372-117 all-time on the women's side at USC. Vavic can also claim a clean sweep as coach of the year on the men's and women's sides this academic year. Vavic and the Trojan men won the 2009 NCAA crown as Vavic was named 2009 National Men's Coach of the Year on the way into the women's season in which USC claimed the 2010 NCAA title and Vavic's third National Women's Coach of the Year acclaim.
Kami Craig already was among elite company as a 2008 Olympian and a recipient of back-to-back Peter J. Cutino Awards. This season she finished her USC career ranked No. 8 all-time in career scoring with 152 goals - 36 of which came this year as she helped the Trojans claim the 2010 NCAA title. Craig was named the NCAA Tournament MVP and also picked up All-MPSF First Team honors this season on the way to her pick as the National Player of the Year and her fourth All-American honor. She earned honorable mention in her first season and has now been a First Team All-American in her other three seasons at Troy.
Tumua Anae was USC's goalie throughout 2010, and she picks up her third straight selection as a First Team All-American. With 270 saves and 140 goals allowed, Anae was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team. She became the first goalie to be named MPSF Player of the Year as she finished a stellar career in the cage for the Women of Troy.
Joelle Bekhazi staked her claim on First Team All-American honors in standing out as USC's top scorer, plugging in 56 goals in her second season of action as a Trojan. She is now a two-time All-American after earning honorable mention last year. Also an Academic All-American, Bekhazi was picked to the All-MPSF Second Team this season.
Kristen Dronberger upgraded her All-American status with this year's Second Team selection, which follows a strong junior season in which she scored 33 goals and was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team. She earned All-American honorable mention last season as a sophomore.
Another repeat All-American, Forel Davies capped off her Trojan career with Third Team All-American honors to go along with All-MPSF Second Team accolades and a place on the NCAA All-Tournament Team. She was near flawless on opening sprints, and added 27 goals to the Trojans' tally in 2010.
On the All-American list for the first time, senior Honorable Mention recipients Alexandra Kiss and Kally Lucas again provided key scoring for the Women of Troy. Kiss finishes her USC career at the No. 9 all-time scoring slot with 142 career goals after a 35-goal effort this year. Lucas broke the 100-goal mark this season after standing out as USC's third leading scorer on the year with 38 goals. In her first season with the Trojans, freshman Patricia Jancso made a splash in providing 45 goals to stand second on the team in scoring. Her impact also garnered her selection as the MPSF Newcomer of the Year on the way to her receipt of All-American Honorable Mention.
The last time coach Vavic picked up National Women's Coach of the Year accolades was in 2004, when he also had a set of eight Women of Troy earning All-American honors. That tally set a program record for the Trojans in that NCAA championship-winning season, notching the highwater mark that has been hit this year with USC's 2010 class of eight All-American NCAA champs.
For a complete list of the 2010 ACWPC All-Americans, CLICK HERE
