SAN DIEGO - Working through numerous obstacles to academic success during the 2020-21 school year, a record 21 San Diego State water polo players, as well as the team, earned academic recognition from the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) for the just completed school year. The ACWPC announced its 2021 Women's All-Academic Teams on Monday from its office in Bridgeport, Pa.
The 21 Aztecs who were recognized nearly tripled the program's highest number of honorees, eight, which was achieved in both 2019 and 2020. The ACWPC recognizes honorees in three categories: Outstanding (GPAs between 3.71-4.00), Superior (3.41-3.70) and Excellent (3.20-3.40). The student-athletes had to have been a member of the team during the 2020-21 school year.
Senior Dani D'Andrea and freshmen Kori Bento, Adrina Daniel, Katie Scott, and Caroline Wilkins are included on the Outstanding Team.
Seniors Emily Bennett and Haley Hagerty, juniors Delaney Binette and Jessica Leckich, sophomore Katie Verdugo, and freshmen Faith Cerussi, Gwen Gardner, Kendall Houck, Sydney Spence and Maddie Waasdorp are among the members of the Superior Team.
Seniors Karli Canale, Lucia Carballo, Maddie Higginson and Rory Nuuhiwa, junior Spencer Samuel and freshman Laurene Padilla are on the Excellent Team.
Carballo has been recognized by the ACWPC for the fourth time in her college career. Bennett, Binette, Hagerty and Leckich receive the distinction for the third time and D'Andrea, Samuel and Verdugo are two-time honorees.
Since assuming the helm of the program in 1999, head coach Carin Crawford's players have been honored 117 times for their academic success by the ACWPC.
Overall, the 2021 Aztecs had a cumulative GPA of 3.31. The program is one of 41 across all NCAA divisions recognized with Team All-Academic honors by the ACWPC. It is the fourth year in a row, and sixth time since 2009, that the Aztecs as a team have been honored for their work in the classroom.
Last month, San Diego State players earned a program-record 16 Golden Coast Conference (GCC) All-Academic honors. Since the program's inaugural season of 1995, only one other San Diego State water polo team has earned double digit conference academic honors in a single year; the 2019 squad, which garnered 11 GCC All-Academic awards.
San Diego State finished the season ranked No. 12 nationally, its highest final ranking since the 2013 season, when the Aztecs were No. 10 in the final American Water Polo Coaches Association (AWPCA) poll. The team earned a share of the GCC regular-season title with a 6-1 conference record, and finished runner-up in the GCC Championship tournament.
2021 Association of College Water Polo Coaches All-Academic Team
San Diego State honorees
Emily Bennett***
Kori Bento*
Delaney Binette***
Karli Canale*
Lucia Carballo****
Faith Cerussi*
Dani D'Andrea**
Adrina Daniel*
Gwen Gardner*
Haley Hagerty***
Maddie Higginson*
Kendall Houck*
Jessica Leckich***
Rory Nuuhiwa*
Laurene Padilla*
Spencer Samuel**
Kaitlin Scott*
Sydney Spence*
Kaitlyn Verdugo**
Maddie Waasdorp*
Caroline Wilkins*
*-ACWPC All-Academic honors