SAN FRANCISCO – Stanford sophomore Ben Hallock was honored with the Peter J. Cutino Award, recognizing the nation's most outstanding men's water polo player. The Cardinal standout was presented with the award at the Peter J. Cutino Award Banquet Saturday at The Olympic Club.
"I am extremely thankful and humbled to win this award", Hallock said in accepting the award. "Thank you to the Cutino family for this great honor. I also want to thank my family for the passion, dedication and discipline they instilled in me. To all the incredible coaches I have had the pleasure of working with, thank you for the time and energy you put in to make me the player I am today. To my Stanford teammates, you mean so much to me. Your support and friendship have made a positive impact on my life."
Hallock joined Stanford women's water polo NCAA Champion Makenzie Fischer, who was honored as the nation's most outstanding women's water polo player. It's the fifth time one school has swept both men's and women's Cutino Awards and the third time Stanford has done it. Tony Azevedo and Brenda Villa were the honorees in 2002 and Azevedo and Jackie Frank the following year. USC's McQuin Baron and Stephania Haralabidis were the winners in 2016.
Hallock was also honored as the National Player of the Year by the Association of College Water Polo Coaches following the 2018 season.
The Cardinal sophomore 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. He was the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Player of the Year this past season, after collecting Newcomer of the Year honors last season. The sophomore 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 in 2018. 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.
The sophomore is one of two individuals in program history to win the Peter J. Cutino Award, joining Tony Azevedo. Arguably the best player in USA Water Polo history, Azevedo was a four-time recipient of the Peter J. Cutino Award from 2001-04.
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. Stanford completed the season 21-3 overall and captured the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation regular-season and tournament championship.