SAN DIEGO - The 2025-26 San Diego State water polo team led the Golden Coast Conference (GCC) with 16 student-athletes garnering GCC All-Academic honors for the recently completed school year, the league announced on Thursday from its offices in Aliso Viejo, Calif.
San Diego State, which has fielded a water polo team since 1995, extended its program record to six consecutive years of double-digit conference academic honors and for the second time in as many campaigns led the conference in award winners. The Scarlet and Black have reached double digits in seven of the last eight seasons, and the 16 Aztecs were among 95 women who were recognized by the GCC for their success in the classroom.
For inclusion, players must be full-time students with at least one year completed at their current institution, have played in more than 50 percent of their team's games for the season, and hold a minimum of a 3.0 cumulative GPA.
The 16 Aztecs who met the requirements are: seniors Tiaare Ahovelo, Hannah Bell, Sydney Gish, Megan Holcomb, Aiyana Mendoza, Shannon Murphy and Claudia Valdes; juniors Lucy Bullock, Sammi Byers and Mimi Stoupas; sophomore Julianne Stark; and freshmen Natalia Barrot, Ioanna Petiki, Poppy Phillips, Kyla Pranajaya and Avery Sullivan.
These are the fourth GCC academic honors for Gish, Murphy and Valdes, while Ahovelo, Bullock, Byers and Stoupas earned the distinction for the third time. Bell, Holcomb, Mendoza and Stark are receiving the designation for the second time in their careers and the remaining five: Barrot, Petiki, Phillips, Pranajaya and Sullivan are first-time honorees.
Since joining the GCC in 2014, San Diego State players have been honored by the conference 152 times for their academic success.
Under the guidance of head coach Dana Ochsner, San Diego State finished the 2026 season ranked No. 16 in the final Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) poll. It compiled a 19-10 record, 4-3 in conference play, and finished in third place in the GCC Championship tournament.
2026 Golden Coast Conference All-Academic Honors
San Diego State Honorees
Tiaare Ahovelo (SR, GK)
Natalia Barrot (Fr, ATT)
Hannah Bell (SR, CTR)
Lucy Bullock (JR, DEF)
Sammi Byers (JR, ATT)
Sydney Gish (SR, ATT)
Megan Holcomb (SR, UTL)
Aiyana Mendoza (SR, UTL)
Shannon Murphy (SR, ATT)
Ioanna Petiki (FR, ATT)
Poppy Phillips (FR, ATT)
Kyla Pranajaya (FR, GK)
Julianne Stark (SO, ATT)
Mimi Stoupas (JR, CTR)
Avery Sullivan (FR, DEF)
Claudia Valdes (SR, ATT)