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BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — The Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) announces the selection of 23 student-athletes to the 2021 ACWPC Division III Women’s Varsity All-America Team.

The ACWPC All-America teams are selected based on nominations and voting by varsity head coaches.

The All-America honors are divided into an eight-member (seven field players, one goalie) First Team with 15 athletes collecting Honorable Mention notice as a total of 11 institutions garnered at least one selection on the 2021 edition of the Division III team.

California Lutheran University leads the way with four honors, while Austin College, Macalester College and Wittenberg University each netted three accolades.  Chapman University, University of La Verne and the University of Redlands posted pairs, with Connecticut College, Carthage College, Grove City College and Penn State Behrend each claiming solo nods.

Leading the team is Division III Player of the Year Lexi Rond of Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Champion Cal Lutheran.  A three-time First Team All-America recipient (2019, 2020, 2021), she is joined on the First Team by teammates Kaitlin Gardhouse and Isabella De Souza.  The honor marks the inaugural accolade bestowed on De Souza, while Gardhouse picks up her second All-America nod after previously notching Second Team status in 2020.

Sophie Oliver of Austin, Camille Chiang of Chapman, Stephania Lopez of Connecticut, Eleanor Michaud of Macalester and Jassmine Kezman of La Verne complete the eight-athlete First Team.  The award marks the second for Oliver (2020 Honorable Mention, 2021 First Team) and the fourth for both Kezman (2018 First Team, 2019 Second Team, 2020 First Team, 2021 First Team) and Lopez (2018 Second Team, 2019 Second Team, 2020 Second Team, 2021 First Team).

On the Honorable Mention list, four athletes add onto previous All-America awards as Austin’s Valery Piachonkina (2021 Honorable Mention, 2020 Honorable Mention) and Lexi Wong (2021 Honorable Mention, 2020 First Team, 2019 Second team) are joined by Jessica Diaz of Cal Lutheran (2021 Honorable Mention, 2020 Honorable Mention) and Shannon Young of Penn State Behrend (2021 Honorable Mention, 2020 Honorable Mention). 

The quartet is joined by first-time selections Arianna Dakuras (Carthage), Leighanne Eastbrook (Chapman), Reese Traguer (Grove City), Bianca Sanchez (La Verne), Laurel O’Hare (Macalester), Annika Krueger (Macalester), Holly Kvanvig (Redlands), Katrina Nielsen (Redlands), Grace McLaughlin (Wittenberg), Kailey Cordova (Wittenberg) and Jordan Brough (Wittenberg).

Cal Lutheran’s Craig Rond earns his fourth Division III National Coach of the Year nod following previous laurels in 2007, 2009 and 2019. Pomona-Pitzer College’s Alex Rodriguez (2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018), Macalester’s Scott Reed (2017), former Whittier College coach Justin Pudwill (2016), Tom Whittemore of Redlands (1996, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2011) of Redlands, Tim Settem (2006) and Mike Ashe (2001) of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, Dennis Fosdick (2000, 1997) of Occidental College and Matt Anderson (2015) of Connecticut College also previously claimed recognition as Division III’s best coach.

The selection of Lexi Rond and Craig Rond as Player of the Year and Coach of the Year is believed to mark the first time a daughter-father combination swept the awards on any level (Division I, II or III).

Founded in 2005, the mission of the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) is to promote the development and advancement of collegiate water polo. This shall be accomplished by providing its membership with professional education, services, training and a united voice.

 

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Collegiate Water Polo Association