April 26, 2012

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) announced the 28 individuals honored with All-Southern and All-Western Division honors this evening during the league's 2012 CWPA Eastern Championship and Hall of Fame ceremony.

Selected by a vote of the head coaches in each division, the All-Conference teams comprise the best players in the opinion of the coaches based on nominations from the coaches combined with a review of each players performance during the 2012 regular and divisional championship seasons.

Leading the teams are Katie Rigler (So., Fullerton, Calif./Rosary) of Princeton University and Kiki Golden (Jr., Danville, Calif./Monte Vista) of the University of Michigan as the duo garnered Player of the Year honors in the Southern and Western Divisions, respectively.

Rigler, who earns her second All-Conference nod after previously garnering First Team honors in 2011, leads a squad that features representatives from all six of the Southern Division squads. 

Joining her on the first team are teammate Molly McBee (So., Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes); Kate Woods (So., La Jolla, Calif./La Jolla), Madison Pepper (Fr., Baytown, Texas/Sterling) and goalie Evan Cranston (Fr., Palo Alto, Calif./Castilleja) of Brown University;  Megan Walker (Sr., San Clemente, Calif./San Clemente) of George Washington University; and Devan Kennifer (Sr., Monterey, Calif./Santa Catalina) of Harvard University.

Goalie Kristen Ward (Sr., Sacramento, Calif./St. Francis) and Audrey Zak (Sr., Carlsbad, Calif./Carlsbad) of Princeton, Taylor Barnett (Fr., Houston, Texas/Clear Lake) and Julianne Valdes (So., Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prepatory) of Bucknell University, Lisett Calderon (Jr., Chicago, Ill./Fenwick) of Mercyhurst University, Sarah Presant (So., Poway, Calif./Bishops School) of Brown and Elise Molnar (Jr., Newport Beach, Calif./Corona del Mar) of Harvard comprise the Second Team as eight of the 14-honored players previously garnered an All-Conference award from the CWPA.

Barnett earned special notice as the Southern Division Rookie of the Year, while Brown head coach Felix Mercado garnered the Coach of the Year award for leading the Bears to a second place finish at the division championship tournament two weeks ago at Bucknell.

On the Western Division team, Michigan placed a league-high three players on the First Team as Kelsey Nolan (So., San Jose, Calif./Leland) and Lauren Colton (Jr., Tustin, Calif./Tesoro) join Golden in garnering high recognition from the division's seven head coaches.  In the history of the league it marks the first time any women's team in the CWPA has placed three field players on the First Team of an All-Conference squad since the Maize & Blue place since graduated Leah Robertson, Lauren Orth, Alison Mantel and goalie Alex Adamson on the 2010 All-West First Team.

Indiana University's Shae Fournier (So., Winnipeg, Manitoba/Grant Park) and goalie Cassie Wyckoff (Sr., Los Altos, Calif./Los Altos) also earned First Team recognition along with Allison Campbell (Jr., Maple Ridge, B.C./Maple Ridge Secondary) of the University of Maryland and Sasha Freeborn (Jr., Auckland, New Zealand) of Hartwick College.

Maryland dominates the Second Team as Katie Ermakova (So., Columbia, Md./Wilde Lake), Simone Lewis (Jr., Auckland, New Zealand/Diocesan) and goalie Shelby Reyes (Sr., Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prepatory) each earned recognition for helping the Terrapins claim the Western Division regular season title and a fourth place mark at the Western Division Championship tournament hosted by Indiana.

Kamila Zakirova (So., Almaty, Kazakhstan) and Lily Martinez (Jr., Commerce, Calif.) of Hartwick, along with Indiana's Colleen McNaught (Fr., Dana Point, Calif./Dana Hills) and Gannon University's Colleen Harriger (Sr., Erie, Pa./McDowell) round out the Second Team as five of the seven teams in the division boast an All-Conference selection in 2012.

Ermakova joins Barnett in picking up the honor as her division's best player appearing in their first varsity season as a member of the CWPA institution as she garnered notice as the Western Division's Rookie of the Year.  Maryland head coach Carl Salyer completes the individual award recipients as he notched the Western Division Coach of the Year plaque.

Southern Division Team
Player of the Year:		Katie Rigler (Princeton University)
Coach of the Year:		Felix Mercado (Brown University)
Rookie of the Year:		Taylor Barnett (Bucknell University
First Team
Evan Cranston (Goalie)		Brown University
Madison Pepper		Brown University
Kate Woods *<		Brown University
Katie Rigler *		Princeton University
Devan Kennifer *@\(		Harvard University
Molly McBee ^		Princeton University
Megan Walker ^		George Washington University
Second Team
Kristen Ward (Goalie) ^>~		Princeton University
Audrey Zak		Princeton University
Taylor Barnett		Bucknell University
Julianne Valdes		Bucknell University
Lisett Calderon+		Mercyhurst University
Sarah Presant		Brown University
Elise Molnar?		Harvard University
Western Division Team
Player of the Year:		Kiki Golden (University of Michigan)
Coach of the Year:		Carl Salyer (University of Maryland)
Rookie of the Year:		Kamila Zakirova (Hartwick College)
First Team
Cassie Wyckoff (Goalie)=		Indiana University
Shae Fournier #!		Indiana University
Kiki Golden $		University of Michigan
Kelsey Nolan		University of Michigan
Lauren Colton		University of Michigan
Allison Campbell *%>{		University of Maryland
Sasha Freeborn?		Hartwick College
Second Team
Shelby Reyes (Goalie) *		University of Maryland
Simone Lewis		University of Maryland
Katie Ermakova ^		University of Maryland
Kamila Zakirova		Hartwick College
Lily Martinez		Hartwick College
Colleen McNaught		Indiana University
Colleen Harriger #=		Gannon University
* 2011 All-South First Team; ^ 201l All-South Second Team; $2011 All-West First Team; #2011 All-West Second Team; !2011 Western Division Rookie of the Year; %2011 Western Division Most Valuable Player; <2011 Southern Division Rookie of the Year; @2010 All-North First Team; ?2010 All-North Second Team; >2010 All-South Second Team; {2010 Southern Division Rookie of the Year; +2010 Western Division Rookie of the Year; =2010 All-West Second Team; 2009 Northern Division Rookie of the Year; (2009 All-North First Team; ~2009 All-South First Team;