STANFORD, Calif. – Coming off its fifth NCAA championship in the past seven seasons, Stanford women's water polo swept the national postseason awards when the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) announced its 2017 All-America teams. Maggie Steffens was named ACWPC Player of the Year for the second time and John Tanner collected his fifth ACWPC Coach of the Year honor.
The Cardinal has boasted the country's national player of the year at the conclusion of six of the past seven seasons. Steffens won in 2015, Annika Dries did so in 2011 and 2014, Kiley Neushul claimed the award in 2012 and Melissa Seidemann was the top vote-getter in 2013. Brenda Villa was Stanford's first winner in 2001. Jackie Frank followed by nabbing the honor in both 2002 and 2003.
Stanford has swept both coach and player of the year accolades in each season of a championship during its recent title run. Tanner previously was tabbed as the best at his craft in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015.
"Maggie was clearly the most dominant player throughout this season and raised her game to an even higher level in the national semifinal and final," Tanner said of Steffens. "She won this year's title with the absolute most sublime goal in NCAA championship history."
A two-time Olympic gold medalist, two-time Olympic MVP and two-time FINA Women's Water Polo Athlete of the Year, Steffens collected her second national player of the year honor after leading Stanford to its sixth NCAA championship last month in Indianapolis. In the final against UCLA she forced a Bruin turnover with 14 seconds left and scored the game winner with nine seconds remaining to power the Cardinal to its crown. A three-time national champion during her time at Stanford, Steffens earned NCAA Tournament MVP honors for the second time after scoring 10 goals in three games.
What a way to go out. @maggiesteffens' final collegiate goal won't soon be forgotten. #GoStanford pic.twitter.com/jyzPOABun2
— Stanford Water Polo (@Stanfordh2opolo) June 5, 2017
The 2017 MPSF Player of the Year led Stanford with a career-high 65 goals this season, tied for the fifth-most in Stanford single-season history, and was third in the MPSF in goals per game (2.50). She scored in a team-high 23 games and had a personal-best 15 hat tricks as part of her 17 multi-goal performances.
Steffens, who became Stanford's first four-time, first-team All-American, finished her career third in program history and 20th in MPSF history in goals scored (229). In four seasons on The Farm, Steffens and the Cardinal went 102-9 overall and 23-1 in conference play. She finished her career with a goals per game average of 2.06 and was best when it mattered most, scoring 30 times in 12 career NCAA Tournament games (2.50 goals per game).
With Tanner at the helm, the Cardinal is the only women's water polo program in the nation to have competed in all 17 NCAA Championships since its inception in 2001, and has finished in the top three in the country each season since he became head coach in 1998. He has posted a career coaching record of 502-73 in 20 seasons on The Farm.
Steffens and Tanner headlined a group of six Stanford women's water polo players that claimed spots on various ACWPC All-America teams, more than any other school in the country. Steffens was joined on the first team by senior Jamie Neushul. Freshman Makenzie Fischer and senior Gabby Stone landed on the second team while senior Dani Jackovich and junior Jordan Raney earned honorable mention accolades.
Neushul, who finished third on the Cardinal with 38 goals, earned first-team honors for the second consecutive season. She tied for 17th in the conference in goals per game (1.46) had 12 multi-goal efforts and five hat tricks. Neushul also was named to the All-NCAA Tournament second team after scoring twice in the NCAA final against UCLA. She was also an All-MPSF first teamer in her final season and finished her Stanford career with 135 goals.
Fischer landed on the second team after her first year in a Cardinal cap. The freshman, a four-time MPSF/Kap7 Newcomer of the Week, was second on the team with 54 goals, including a Stanford-high 18 multi-goal efforts, and fifth in the league in goals per game (2.08). Her goal total was the highest for a Stanford freshman since 2013, when Steffens had 60 in her first collegiate season. Fischer, a 2016 Olympic gold medalist, finished the season with 14 multi-goal efforts in her final 19 games and in 10 outings against top-five opponents, tied for the team lead with 20 goals. She tied for third at the NCAA championship with six goals and was named to the All-NCAA Tournament first team in addition to spots on the All-MPSF second team and MPSF All-Newcomer team.
Goalkeeper Gabby Stone joined Fischer on the second team, her highest All-America finish after previously winning places on the third team (2015) and honorable mention squads (2014). The senior allowed 104 goals and posted a 5.40 goals against average while playing 77 quarters (19.25 games) this season. She made 158 saves, an average of 8.21 per game, and finished third in the MPSF in goals against average and fifth in saves per game. Stone made four of her 10 saves in the fourth quarter of the NCAA championship against UCLA and was named to the All-NCAA Tournament second team at the event's conclusion. An All-MPSF first team selection, four of Stone's five games this year with double-digit saves came against top-5 opponents. She finished third in Stanford history with 559 total saves (records since 2001) and posted a career goals against average of 5.29.
Dani Jackovich and Jordan Raney rounded out Stanford's All-America awardees by earning honorable mention status. The duo tied for fifth on Stanford's scoring chart 29 goals. Jackovich, a senior who finished her career with three national titles and 106 goals, scored in 19 games and had one hat trick as part of nine multi-goal performances. Raney had eight multi-goal outings and one four-score effort in the Cardinal's regular-season finale against San Jose State. She was named to the All-NCAA Tournament second team after scoring twice in Stanford's semifinal win over USC and once in the title game against UCLA.
The Cardinal's most recent national championship was not only the sixth in program history, but was the 113th NCAA team title overall for the department, which tied Stanford with UCLA for the most all-time.