STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford sophomore Ben Hallock has been named the National Player of the Year by the Association of College Water Polo Coaches.
Hallock was one of five Cardinal honorees as the organization announced its Division I Player of the Year, Coach of the Year and All-America teams. Hallock and junior Bennett Williams were recognized as First Team All-Americans, while senior Blake Parrish was a second-team selection, fellow senior Oliver Lewis was a third-team pick and sophomore Tyler Abramson earned honorable mention recognition.
Hallock is the fourth Stanford player to be named the ACWPC Player of the Year and the first since Cardinal legend Tony Azevedo won the award three consecutive years from 2001-03. Wolf Wigo was named the ACWPC Player of the Year in 1994 and Craig Klass was honored as the association's Player of the Year in 1986.
The sophomore two-meter standout has lived up to his billing as the nation's top prospect when he signed with the Cardinal. He has led Stanford in scoring in each of his first two seasons on The Farm, producing 56 goals as a freshman and 65 as a sophomore. Hallock was the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Player of the Year this season, after collecting Newcomer of the Year honors last season. He has earned First Team All-America honors in each of his first two seasons.
Hallock scored in 21 of the 23 games he played in, leading Stanford with 65 goals. He finished second in the MPSF in scoring at 2.83 goals per game. The two-meter standout scored multiple goals in 19 contests, including a career-best eight in the victory over UC Irvine on Oct. 28. Despite being double- and triple-teamed for nearly every contest, Hallock posted a hat trick in 12 matches. He also stepped up defensively with several key steals and field blocks throughout the season. He earned MPSF Player of the Week honors twice during the regular season.
Hallock led Stanford to the NCAA Championship game. The Cardinal fell to USC, 14-12, in the title match, a game in which the sophomore had five goals. The Cardinal completed the season 21-3 overall and captured the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation regular-season and tournament championship.
Williams was second on the Cardinal roster and third in the MPSF with 62 goals on the year. He posted multiple scores in 16 matches, including a career-best six at Pepperdine on Sept. 23. The junior came up big in big games, highlighted by a four-goal performance that included the game winner to beat California, 12-11, in overtime in the Big Splash. The effort earned the Cardinal MPSF Player of the Week honors. The win secured Stanford its second consecutive regular-season conference crown. Then, in the MPSF tournament title game against the Bears, Williams scored the first four goals of the contest as Stanford captured the conference tournament crown. He also posted hat tricks in Stanford's two NCAA games against UC San Diego and USC. It's the first All-America honor of Williams' career.
Parrish finished his standout Cardinal career with 152 goals, including 42 his senior year. He collected his third consecutive All-America honor this season, after earning an honorable mention selection as a junior and a second-team selection as a sophomore. The senior computer science major with a 3.78 grade-point average was the recipient of the NCAA's Elite 90 Award, honoring the student-athlete with the highest GPA in the NCAA Championships. Parrish finished fourth on the Stanford roster and 12th in the MPSF in scoring. He scored multiple goals in 15 matches, including four in the NCAA semifinal victory over UC San Diego.
Lewis came through with many big stops throughout the year, finishing with 251 on the season. He averaged 10.96 saves per match, the best average among the four California schools in the MPSF. The senior earned MPSF Player of the Week honors on Sept. 24, after posting career-best save totals in back-to-back road wins. He had 15 saves in a 9-7 win over No. 5 UC Santa Barbara and followed that up with 17 stops in the 13-7 victory over No. 10 Pepperdine. That total was the most saves by a Cardinal in three seasons. He also posted 12 saves in the overtime win over California in the Big Splash to secure the MPSF regular-season title and collected 16 saves in the victory over UC San Diego in the NCAA semifinals. His 7.60 goals-against average was one of the best in the MPSF as well, as the senior collected his first All-America honor.
Abramson earned his first All-America honor, after scoring 57 goals during his sophomore campaign. He finished third on the Stanford roster and third in the MPSF in scoring. Abramson posted multiple scores in 15 matches, including a career-best five in wins over both Pacific and Long Beach State. His four second-half goals in the MPSF tournament championship game fueled Stanford's comeback to secure the crown with a 12-10 victory over California. He also posted four scores in the regular-season overtime win over the Bears to capture the MPSF regular-season title.
Stanford's five All-America selections are its most since the Cardinal placed six on the ACWPC All-America teams in 2015. Hallock and Williams mark Stanford's first multiple First Team All-America honorees in the same season since Bret Bonanni and Alex Bowen in 2014.