STANFORD, Calif. – Freshman Ben Hallock was voted the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Men's Water Polo Newcomer of the Year, to highlight five Cardinal MPSF honorees.
Hallock was one of two First Team All-MPSF selections for Stanford, along with senior Connor Stapleton. Senior Drew Holland was a Second Team All-MPSF selection, and senior Cody Smith and junior Blake Parrish were All-MPSF honorable mention picks.
The MPSF honor was the second for Holland, Parrish and Smith in their Cardinal careers. Parrish and Smith were also MPSF honorees in 2016, while Holland was an All-MPSF selection in 2015.
Hallock, a redshirt freshman, finished his first competitive season on The Farm third in the MPSF in scoring with 56 goals. He scored at least one goal in every match he played in, finishing the season with a 2.45 goals per game average. Hallock earned MPSF Newcomer of the week honors three times during the season. The freshman led Stanford on a 12-game winning streak during the season and helped the Cardinal secure the No. 1 seed in the MPSF Tournament. He scored multiple goals in 17 matches with a team-best six goals in the victory over San Jose State on Sept. 30.
The two-meter standout redshirted his true freshman season in 2016 after competing with the United States Olympic Team at the 2016 Games.
Hallock is the fifth Cardinal to win MPSF Newcomer of the Year honors, joining Bret Bonanni (2012), Alex Bowen (2011), Drac Wigo (2006) and Will Hindle-Katel (2005).
Holland completed his career as Stanford's all-time saves leader with 925. He posted double-digit saves in a game in 11 different contests this year, including 17 against No. 2 USC during the season. The goalie, who is majoring in management science and engineering, also captured All-America honors this season for the fourth time in his career.
Parrish, an All-American this season as well, finished the season second on the team in scoring with 38 goals on the year. He scored in 17 of Stanford's 24 matches with 12 contests. The junior had a season-best five goals in the win over St. Francis Brooklyn. He enters his senior season on The Farm in 2018 as the Cardinal's active scoring leader with 110 career goals.
Stapleton, who also earned All-America honors this season, was fourth on the Cardinal roster in scoring this year. He finished with 32 goals. The economics major scored in 19 matches with multiple scores in nine contests on the season. In Stanford's 11-10 victory over No. 1 California in the Big Splash at Avery Aquatic Center in early November, Stapleton led the Cardinal with three scores. He also had three goals against the Bears in the MPSF Championship matchup between the schools. Stapleton completed his Cardinal career with 99 goals.
Smith, a Symbolic Systems major, finished third on the team in scoring this year with 35 goals. He scored in 18 games with multiple goals in 12 of those contests. The senior recorded a season-best four goals in the win over St. Francis Brooklyn on Oct. 22. Smith completed his standout Cardinal career with 144 career goals.
Stanford completed the 2017 season 19-5 overall, ranked No. 4 nationally by the Collegiate Water Polo Association.
