SAN DIEGO – Despite a shortened season due to the global pandemic, nine San Diego State women's water polo student-athletes earned 2020 Golden Coast Conference (GCC) All-Academic honors, the conference announced Monday. The nine honorees are the second most for the program in a season, trailing only the 11 designees who were recognized last season.
For inclusion, players must be full-time students with two semesters completed at their given institution, have played in more than 50 percent of their team's games, and hold a minimum of a 3.0 cumulative GPA.
The nine Aztecs who met all the requirements are seniors Isabelle Hastings and Shelby Kraft, juniors Emily Bennett, Lucia Carballo, and Jordann Heimback and sophomores Delaney Binette, Haley Hagerty, Jessica Leckich, and Spencer Samuel.
"I am very proud of our team's accomplishments in the classroom this year," head coach Carin Crawford said. "When you take into consideration that our season was cut short and everyone went to distance learning, our players stayed focused and excelled. Despite the obstacles placed in front of them, that these nine were able to earn academic honors, is an example of the resilience and determination that it takes to be an Aztec."
For Bennett, Carballo and Kraft, this is their third GCC academic honor, while Binette, Leckich, and Samuel are recognized for the second time.
While the GCC will not announce any postseason awards, among the Aztecs honored today, Bennett and Hastings were named honorable mention All-Americans by the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) in late April.
When the season was halted on March 12, the Aztecs had played 18 of their 29 scheduled regular-season games. San Diego State had a 9-9 overall record, including a 3-0 mark in GCC play which included an 11-9 victory at three-time reigning conference champion Pacific, which would turn out to be the final game of the season.
Since joining the GCC in 2014, Coach Crawford's players have been honored 52 times for their academic success by the conference.
2020 Golden Coast Conference All-Academic Team
San Diego State honorees
| Emily Bennett | JR | UTL | Oakdale, Calif. |
| Delaney Binette | SO | DR | Santa Ana, Calif. |
| Lucia Carballo | JR | DEF | Mexico City, Mexico |
| Haley Hagerty | SO | CTR | Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. |
| Isabelle Hastings | SR | UTL | Imperial Beach, Calif. |
| Jordann Heimback | JR | GK | Fallbrook, Calif. |
| Shelby Kraft | SR | UTL | Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. |
| Jessica Leckich | SO | DR | Coto de Caza, Calif. |
| Spencer Samuel | SO | DR | San Diego, Calif. |
-SDSU-