STANFORD, Calif. - Maya Avital and Sophie Wallace have been named to the Peter J. Cutino Award Watch List, as No. 2 Stanford is once again well represented in the discussion for the nation's top player.
USA Water Polo and The Olympic Club have collaborated with the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) to compile the 22-player list of honorees. Stanford joins Hawai'i, Michigan and UCLA as the only schools with multiple selections.
Established in 1999 by The Olympic Club, the Peter J. Cutino Award is given annually to the most outstanding 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.
Seven Cardinal players have combined to win the award 10 times: Aria Fischer (2023), Makenzie Fischer (2019, 2022), Kiley Neushul (2012, 2015), Annika Dries (2011, 2014), Melissa Seidemann (2013), Jackie Frank (2003) and Brenda Villa (2002).
Avital and Wallace have provided veteran leadership this season for Stanford (13-3, 1-0 MPSF), which remains solidly in contention for an NCAA three-peat despite missing five players who are taking a leave of absence and redshirt year to train and compete with their respective national teams in preparation for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.
Avital is the nation's top returning goalkeeper, a two-time ACWPC All-American who made the jump to a first-team selection in 2023. Avital, who has made 110 saves in 2024, owns 520 for her career and is four stops shy of passing Jackie Frank (2001-03) for fourth place in school history. Avital has produced six double-digit save outings this season, including a season-best 15 in an 8-6 overtime victory over California on Feb. 3. Avital's 189 saves last season ranked eighth all-time on the Cardinal's single-season list.
Wallace has emerged as Stanford's top all-around player, totaling career-best marks in goals (39), assists (18), points (57), shots (89) and multi-goal games (12). The Cardinal's leading returning scorer from 2023, Wallace has yet to miss a game in her career and has impacted the Cardinal offensively and defensively since returning for a fifth year. Wallace scored her 100th career goal in a 12-7 win over USC on Feb. 24.
Stanford is idle until Sunday, March 24, hosting Arizona State at 2 p.m. in its MPSF home opener.
While it's possible the 2024 Cutino Award winner will come from the list of athletes below, this list of honorees is completely independent from the nomination and voting process of the Cutino Award as that honor will acknowledge the full impact of the 2024 season.
Athletes are listed in alphabetical order.
1. Dora Alaksza | Pacific | Sophomore | Attacker
2. Libby Alsemgeest | Michigan | Senior | Center
3. Hailey Andress | Fresno State | Sophomore | Attacker
4. Andrea Arias | Wagner | Senior | Center
5. Maya Avital | Stanford | Senior | Goalkeeper
6. Alba Bonamusa Boix | Hawai'i | Senior | Attacker
7. Elle Fredrickson | Santa Clara | Senior | 2M Defender
8. Lucia Gomez de la Puente | Hawai'i | Senior | Attacker
9. Taeghen Hack | Salem | Senior | Attacker/Utility
10. Lara Luka | Long Beach State | Senior | Utility
11. Bia Mantellato Dias | Hawai'i | Sophomore | Center
12. Ana Luisa Miguel Gomes Cotta | Mount St. Mary's | Senior | Attacker
13. Anna Pearson | UCLA | Sophomore | Utility
14. Luca Petovary | Arizona State | Senior | Attacker
15. Madeleine Poissonnier | Brown | Sophomore | Defender
16. Panni Szegedi | UCLA | Freshman | Utility
17. Kata Utassy | Michigan | Senior | Attacker
18. Claudia Valdes | San Diego State | Sophomore | Attacker
19. Madison Walker | UC Santa Barbara | Sophomore | Goalkeeper
20. Sophie Wallace | Stanford | Graduate | 2M Defender
21. Isabel Williams | California | Senior | Goalkeeper
22. Kayla Yelensky | Princeton | Junior | Utility