Cutino Award for Fischer

SAN FRANCISCO - Aria Fischer was recognized with the most high-profile honor of her career, being named the 2023 Peter J. Cutino Award recipient on Saturday night at The Olympic Club of San Francisco.

Presented to the most outstanding female collegiate water polo player in the nation as voted by Division I coaches, Fischer is the seventh player in school history to win the award, joining Makenzie Fischer (2019, 2022), Kiley Neushul (2012, 2015), Annika Dries (2011, 2014), Melissa Seidemann (2013), Jackie Frank (2003) and Brenda Villa (2002). The Cardinal has been awarded 10 Cutino Award honors overall.

Two days ago, Fischer was named the ACWPC Player of the Year, helping Stanford defeat USC 11-9 to secure its ninth NCAA title in school history and repeat for the first time since 2014-15. Appearing in its 12th NCAA final in 13 seasons, Stanford (24-1, 5-1 MPSF) avenged its only loss and closed out another stellar campaign which included a second straight MPSF crown and its best start to a season (16-0) since 2011.

A three-time NCAA champion having also been a member of Stanford's 2019 NCAA title team, Fischer closed out her career as a four-time ACWPC All-American, qualifying for the first team three times (2019, 2022-23) and the second team in 2018.

Fischer was named the Most Valuable Player of both the NCAA Tournament and MPSF Tournament. A four-time All-MPSF selection after earning first-team honors for the second time in her career, Fischer led the Cardinal in goals (71), assists (45), points (116) and shots (142). On March 26 in a win against Arizona State, Fischer became the seventh player in school history to reach the 200-goal mark and closed out her time on The Farm ranking fifth all-time with 226 overall.

A two-time Olympic gold medalist (2016, 2020), Fischer became the youngest female team sport athlete in U.S. Olympic history to win gold, scoring 10 goals in Tokyo 2016.

Fischer is carrying a 4.01 GPA and majoring in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing. A CSC Academic All-District selection in 2023, Fischer is also a three-time ACWPC All-Academic honoree, three-time MPSF All-Academic recipient and 2022 Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll pick.

Established in 1999 by The Olympic Club, the Peter J. Cutino Award is given annually to the top men's and women's NCAA Division I water polo players as voted on by coaches from across the country. The namesake of the award is a legend in United States water polo history, with eight NCAA titles as head coach at Cal. The Olympic Club has a long and distinguished competitive water polo history, a tradition that continues today in the pool with some of the best age-group teams in the world.

ABOUT THE OLYMPIC CLUB
Founded in 1860, The Olympic Club enjoys the distinction of being amongst the oldest athletic clubs in America. Since its birth, The Olympic Club has fostered amateur athletics in San Francisco. The Winged "O" currently fields teams in 16 sports. Additionally, The Olympic Club has hosted five U.S. Opens, and looks forward to hosting the 2028 PGA Championship and 2032 Ryder Cup at its world-class Lakeside Clubhouse golf courses.

Stanford's Peter J. Cutino Award Recipients