May 5, 2004
SAN FRANCISCO - Senior two-meter Holly Hartzell has been selected by a national vote of coaches as a finalist for the Peter J. Cutino Award given to the most outstanding collegiate female water polo player in the United States during the 2004 season.
Hartzell is one of four nominees up for the player of the year award, which will be presented May 22, 2004 at the Olympic Club in San Francisco. The other finalists are Betsey Armstrong from Michigan, Moriah Van Norman from USC and Wendy Watkins from Stanford.
In 2004, Hartzell was a major contributor in both ends of the pool as she led SDSU with 57 goals and 55 steals. She also posted the Aztecs' highest shooting percentage, .456, and her 109 ejections drawn were over half of the team total.
Hartzell leaves SDSU as the all-time leading scorer with 278 goals, breaking the previous mark by 43. She is also the only Aztec to rank in the top three of career goals, assists and steals and entering the year was the first water polo athlete from SDSU to earn All-America honors three times. Hartzell has already received first team all-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation honors in 2004, the fourth consecutive year she has earned all-conference honors.
Behind Hartzell's efforts, the Aztecs had one of the best seasons in school history. SDSU posted a 26-9 record, the second most wins in school history, and entered the week ranked fourth in the country.