Four members of the UCLA women’s water polo team have been selected to the 2017 ACWPC Division I All-American Team, it was announced by the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches Monday. Rachel Fattal posted the fourth First-Team honor of her career, while freshman Maddie Musselman registered her first. Kodi Hill earned a Second-Team selection, while Alys Williams rounded out the quartet with a Third-Team nod.
Prior to Fattal, Coralie Simmons (1996-98, 2001) was the only Bruin to earn four First-Team honors. Over 26 games, Fattal posted totals of 50 goals, 38 assists, 34 steals, 21 field blocks and 37 sprints won—all good for first or second on the 24-2 MPSF champions. En route to the conference tournament championship, the redshirt senior tallied a team-best five goals, five field blocks and three steals to earn MVP honors. Fattal also garnered MPSF All-Tournament Team, All-MPSF First-Team and NCAA All-Tournament First-Team accolades.
Musselman’s debut season was a record-breaking one, as she became the first Bruin freshman to earn All-American honors since Fattal in 2013. Musselman broke Fattal’s freshman scoring record of 68 goals with 69 and posted an MPSF-record seven Newcomer of the Week awards. On April 25, Musselman became the first player in conference history to earn both Newcomer and Player of the Week honors in the same week after she tied her career-high with five goals in a home win over USC. Her success carried over to the postseason, as she posted 10 goals in the NCAA tournament to finish in a tie atop the leaderboard and earn an NCAA All-Tournament First-Team selection. The Newport Beach, Calif. native also posted totals of 21 assists, 21 earned exclusions, 37 sprints won and a team-best 48 steals.
For the fourth time in her career, Hill led the Bruins in assists. Her 51 helpers spearheaded a Bruin attack that averaged a program-best 14.42 goals per game. The redshirt senior also posted 29 goals, including a hat trick in UCLA’s upset road win over top-ranked Stanford on April 15. Hill earned an MPSF Player of the Week selection for her role in the win. The Santa Barbara, Calif. native was also named to the NCAA All-Tournament Second Team after she led all players with seven assists. The ACWPC Second-Team honor marked a career-best for Hill, who was named to the Third Team in 2015.
The redshirt-senior Williams collected a Third-Team selection for the second time in her career, matching her 2015 performance. The Huntington Beach, Calif. native accumulated a career-high 45 goals in her final season and also registered 24 assists, 22 earned exclusions and 25 steals. Williams posted five goals, including a hat trick in the NCAA title game to earn an NCAA All-Tournament Second-Team pick.
Press Release courtesy of UCLA Athletics.