STANFORD, Calif. - Former Cardinal standout Aria Fischer has been selected as a recipient of the NCAA Today's Top 10 Award, recognizing student-athletes for their exceptional athletic and academic achievements, as well as their contributions to their campuses and communities.
Fischer will be honored at the NCAA Convention on Jan. 10 in Phoenix, Arizona, and joined by fellow awardees Kobe Brown (Missouri), Callie Dickinson (Georgia), Divonne Franklin (Pennsylvania Western University, California), Noah Gulden (Lipscomb), Sydney Packard (Worcester Polytechnic Institute), Ashley Rogers (Tennessee), Trinity Thomas (Florida), Anika Washburn (Case Western Reserve) and Turner Washington (Arizona State).
NCAA Today's Top 10 awardees were selected by the NCAA Honors Committee, composed of representatives from member schools and conferences, as well as nationally distinguished citizens, including past awardees.
Fischer was also awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship this past summer, with those honorees receiving a one-time grant of $10,000 for maintaining a 3.2 GPA and performing with distinction in their sport.
A native of Laguna Beach, California, Fischer closed out her final season in 2023 as Stanford's seventh recipient of the Peter J. Cutino Award, presented to the nation's most outstanding collegiate player. Fischer joined older sister Makenzie Fischer (2019, 2022), Kiley Neushul (2012, 2015), Annika Dries (2011, 2014), Melissa Seidemann (2013), Jackie Frank (2003) and Brenda Villa (2002) as previous Cardinal winners.
The 2023 ACWPC Player of the Year, Fischer was a three-time NCAA champion (2019, 2022-23) who also concluded 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. Selected as the Most Valuable Player of both the NCAA Tournament and MPSF Tournament last season, Fischer led the Cardinal in goals (71), assists (45), points (116) and shots (142) and wrapped up her career as a four-time All-MPSF selection. 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.
Fischer was also honored as the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America At-Large Team Member of the Year, earning the nation's highest scholastic honor in her division. Fischer graduated with a 4.01 GPA and majored in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing. One of five Cardinal student-athletes named to the first team, Fischer became Stanford's third Academic All-America At-Large Team Member of the Year selection in school history.
Following graduation, Fischer has embarked on a screenwriting career and is pursuing a MA in Screenwriting at MetFilm School in London, England, with the ultimate career goal of becoming a TV writer. In 2022, Fischer completed a production internship for The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, assisting on field and in studio shoots while editing scripts. Fischer has also volunteered for the Alliance for Diversity and Equity in Water Polo, assisting the social media and creative teams, seeking out diverse content and amplifying marginalized voices within the water polo community.