SAN DIEGO – Claudia Valdes, a senior attacker on the San Diego State water polo team, has been named the Golden Coast Conference (GCC) Player of the Week for the week ending Sunday, February 15.
In the Aztecs 15-10 win at No. 21 at California Baptist last Saturday, the Madrid, Spain native posted game highs in goals (4), assists (5), points (9) and steals (2) and drew an exclusion.
She completed a hat trick, her sixth of the season, with 4:13 to play in the first half, totaled four total goals for the second straight game and for third time in the campaign’s 14 contests. Her five assists are the second most in a game this season and nine points match her career high.
For the season, Valdes leads SDSU in assists (33) and points (62), is second in shots (63) and third in goals (29), steals (19) and exclusions drawn (11). Her assists, points and goals rank second, second, and eighth in the GCC, respectively.
Valdes enters this weekend’s play with 156 career assists, good for No. 5 on the program’s all-time list, and is three away from tying Anique Hermann (2012-15) for No. 4. In addition, her 221 career goals rank eighth on the team’s career goals list and are eight behind Amber Pezzolla (2010-13) for seventh all-time on The Mesa.
The award is Valdes’ second of her career and she is the second Aztec to earn the distinction this season, joining Mimi Stoupas, who garnered it on Jan. 22.
The Scarlet and Black return to the pool on Saturday, February 21, at noon at No. 8 Loyola Marymount. Links for live stats and streaming video are available on the team’s schedule page at goaztecs.com.