USC Sweeps MPSF Awards: Longan, Hauschild and Vavic Claim Top Honors

As USC carries the top seed and an 11-game win streak into action at the 2018 MPSF Tournament, the Trojans have also claimed a clean sweep of the MPSF's annual awards for the first time since 2010. While 2018 MPSF Coach of the Year Jovan Vavic now grips an MPSF-record six Coach of the Year selections, USC also boast junior goalie Amanda Longan as MPSF Player of the Year and freshman Paige Hauschild as MPSF Newcomer of the Year. Longan and Hauschild are also joined by teammates Maud Megens, Brianna Daboub and Hayley McKelvey on the All-MPSF honor roll. Megens joins Longan on the All-MPSF First Team; Daboub and Haushild stand out on the All-MPSF Second Team; and McKelvey has earned a place on the All-MPSF Honorable Mention list. Hauschild also sits on the MPSF All-Freshman Team.

Junior goalie Amanda Longan owns a 4.78 goals-against average with a conference-best 11.13 saves per game en route to her MPSF Player of the Year award. She has 529 career saves in less than three full seasons, ranking her No. 4 all-time in career saves by a Trojan — just nine saves from the No. 3 all-time spot. Longan was named MPSF Player of the Week twice this year. She is the only goalkeeper in the MPSF this year to have two separate games of at least 16 saves, collecting 18 vs. California (Feb. 24) and 16 in a conference road win at Stanford on April 13. She allowed just five goals at Stanford in a key step towards the No. 1 seed in the MPSF Tournament. A team captain, Longan is on track for a third All-American honor, and now has three all-conference nods with two first team awards. This is the conference-high 11th MPSF Player of the Year award for USC, as Longan follows in the footsteps of Stephania Haralabidis (2016), Monica Vavic (2013), Tumua Anae (2010), Kami Craig (2009), Moriah Van Norman (2004), Sofia Konoukh (2001 & 2002), Aniko Pelle (2000) and Bernice Orwig (1997 & 1999). Longan is the third USC goalie to win MPSF Player of the Year, joining Olympians Anae and Orwig with that distinction. Longan also has herself her second All-MPSF First Team selection, last earned her freshman season before taking Second Team honors last year.
USC freshman Paige Hauschild tied the all-time MPSF record with seven Newcomer of the Week awards this year, including four consecutively and five in the last seven weeks to help lock up her MPSF Newcomer of the Year honor. A key component of the top offensive team in the MPSF, Hauschild has put away a 2018 conference-high 56 goals on the year, with the second-best scoring average of 2.55 goals per game. She matched teammate Maud Megens' MPSF single-game high of seven goals against Hartwick on March 31. Hauschild is one of three freshmen to earn an All-MPSF honor this year. Hauschild is the second MPSF Newcomer of the Year from USC, joining Patricia Jancso from 2010. Hauschild also has a place on the 2018 All-MPSF Second Team and on the MPSF All-Freshman Team. Her current 56 goals mark the fifth most single-season goals scored by a Trojan true freshman.

Head coach Jovan Vavic guided the Trojans to an unbeaten regular season in MPSF play and top overall win percentage (.955) with USC's 21-1 mark entering the MPSF Tournament, where USC seeks a fifth MPSF Championship this weekend. Vavic also has the Trojans in pursuit of a possible sixth national title in this year's NCAA Tournament, which USC hosts May 11-13. In the MPSF, the Trojans lead in scoring offense, have two of the top-three players in scoring average, and two of the top-three in goals-against average in the cage. USC placed five players on the all-conference teams, with a high of four on the first and second teams. This is the sixth women's MPSF Coach of the Year award for Vavic (2018, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2004, 1999), which breaks the all-time record in MPSF women's water polo. He has a career record of 566-147 (.794).

As the Trojans' award sweep attests, USC boasts a balanced and deep roster in this 2018 campaign. Longan and Hauschild have plenty of defensive savvy and offensive firepower alongside them in the pool, and for their standout efforts there are three other Trojans on this year's MPSF awards list. Sophomore Maud Megens has picked up repeat honors, upgrading last year's awards with a spot on the 2018 All-MPSF First Team with Longan. Megens was sidelined for 10 games with injury earlier this year and has been a force to reckon with since returning to action. Megens was an MPSF Player of the Week early in the year before injury, and has since scored in nine of the 12 games in which she's played to rack up 30 goals. That goes along with the 58 she scored as a true freshman to give the sophomore a career total of 88 goals as USC heads into the 2018 postseason. As a freshman, Megens was named to the 2017 All-MPSF Second Team and MPSF All-Newcomer Team.

Picking up her third set of All-MPSF honors is senior captain Brianna Daboub, who lands a place on the 2018 All-MPSF Second Team with Hauschild. In her second season as captain for the Trojans, Daboub is the team's third leading scorer with 31 goals to date. That's lifted the senior to rank No. 19 all-time in career scoring at USC with 122 career goals. A two-time All-American, Daboub was an MPSF All-Newcomer Team pick as a freshman and earned All-MPSF Honorable Mention as a sophomore.

New to the MPSF honor roll this year is senior utility Hayley McKelvey. With 16 goals in the past seven games, McKelvey has shown her all-around threat as a top defender and dangerous scorer for the Trojans. A recent MPSF Player of the Week selection, McKelvey has locked up her first All-MPSF award with 2018 Honorable Mention in her senior campaign. She has plugged in 26 goals so far this season to up her career count to 106.

USC'S 2018 MPSF AWARD WINNERS

MPSF Player of the Year
Amanda Longan

MPSF Newcomer of the Year
Paige Hauschild

MPSF Coach of the Year
Jovan Vavic

All-MPSF First Team
Amanda Longan
Maud Megens

All-MPSF Second Team
Brianna Daboub
Paige Hauschild

All-MPSF Honorable Mention
Hayley McKelvey

MPSF All-Newcomer Team
Paige Hauschild

Players Mentioned

Brianna Daboub

Stephania Haralabidis

Paige Hauschild

Amanda Longan

Hayley McKelvey

Maud Megens