BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Five Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) student-athletes are among 20 selections to the Peter J. Cutino Award Watch List released in cooperation between USA Water Polo, The Olympic Club and the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) for the 2023 women’s season.
The Peter J. Cutino Award, named in honor of the late Hall of Fame coach, recognizes the best player in men’s and women’s college water polo. In an effort to help promote the college game, awareness of the honor, and the excellent play of athletes around the country, the trio of organizations introduced the watch list starting with the men’s season last Fall.
Attacker Kata Utassy (Jr., Budapest, Hungary/Konyves Kalman Secondary School) and center Erin Neustrom (Gr., Moraga, Calif./Campolindo) of No. 13-ranked the University of Michigan lead the five CWPA selections as the Wolverines join the University of California (two), the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) (two), the University of Southern California (USC) (three) and Stanford University (three) in earning multiple selections as the five programs combine for 12-of-20 honorees on the list.
The remainder of the league’s honorees hail from Ivy League institutions as goalkeepers Zoe Banks (Sr., Palo Alto, Calif./Henry M. Gunn) of No. 14 Harvard University and Shauna Franke (Jr., La Jolla, Calif./La Jolla) of No. 20 Brown University join center Jovana Sekulic (So., Belgrade, Serbia/The Episcopal Academy (Pa.)) of No. 7 Princeton University in consideration for the highest individual honor in collegiate water polo.
The 20 athletes, as submitted by women’s varsity college coaches around the country, are recognized for their excellent play. While it’s possible the 2023 Cutino Award winner will come from the list of athletes below, this list of honorees is completely independent from the nomination and voting process of the Cutino Award as that honor will acknowledge the full impact of the 2023 season. Finalists for the Cutino Award will be announced following the completion of the women’s season.
Athletes are listed in alphabetical order
1. Zoe Banks | Harvard University | Senior | Goalkeeper
2. Abigail Burton | McKendree University | R-Senior | Center
3. Aria Fischer | Stanford University | R-Senior | Center
4. Shauna Franke | Brown University | Junior | Goalkeeper
5. Paige Hauschild | University of Southern California | R-Senior | Attacker
6. Ava Johnson | University of California, Los Angeles | Graduate | Center
7. Tilly Kearns | University of Southern California | R-Junior | Center
8. Emma Lineback | University of California, Los Angeles | Sophomore | Attacker
9. Lara Luka | Long Beach State University | Junior | Utility
10. Ryann Neushul | Stanford University | R-Junior | Attacker
11. Erin Neustrom | University of Michigan | Graduate | Center
12. Jewel Roemer | Stanford University | Junior | Attacker
13. Jovana Sekulic | Princeton University | Sophomore | Center
14. Abbey Simshauser | Wagner College | Senior | Attacker
15. Lily Turner | University of California, Berkeley | Senior | Utility
16. Kata Utassy | University of Michigan | Junior | Attacker
17. Emma van Rossum | University of Hawaii | Senior | Defender
18. Bayley Weber | University of Southern California | R-Senior | Utility
19. Noëlle Wijnbelt | University of California, Davis | Senior | Center
20. Isabel Williams | University of California, Berkeley | Senior | Goalkeeper
