Four Bruins Earn All-America Recognition
May 29, 2018 | Women's Water Polo
BRIDGEPORT, Pa. -- Four members of the UCLA women's water polo team earned ACWPC 2018 All-America recognition, the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches announced Monday.
Maddie Musselman headlined the quartet of Bruin selections with her second First-Team honor in as many years. Devin Grab achieved Second-Team status for the second time in her career, while Bronte Halligan (Third Team) and Carlee Kapana (Honorable Mention) rounded out the list as first-timers.
Following up her stellar debut season, Musselman again led the Bruins in goals scored (53). The sophomore's goals per game average (1.83) was consistently slotted among the best in the Mountain Sports Pacific Federation (MPSF). Musselman registered a team-high 19 multi-goal games and eight hat tricks, including a four-goal performance in the Bruins' 7-5 win over No. 2 California in the Barbara Kalbus Invitational third-place game (Feb. 25). She also finished the year among UCLA's leaders in assists (31), steals (41), field blocks (11), earned exclusions (30) and sprints won (18).
Grab, who missed a majority of the 2017 season, bounced back in a major way to conclude her time at UCLA. The senior was a vital piece to the Bruins' offensive puzzle, notching top-four totals of 27 goals and 22 assists. The South Pasadena, Calif. native scored in eight-straight games from Feb. 24-March 31, joining the school's 100-goal club along the way. Grab posted a hat trick in the Bruins' 9-4 win over No. 14 Long Beach State (March 24) to hit the century mark.
It was a well-rounded sophomore campaign for Halligan, who was a force at both ends of the pool for the Bruins. The sophomore's 58 steals not only led the team in 2018, but marked the fourth highest single-season total in program history. She also led the team in assists (34) and matched the team-best total of 19 sprints won. For good measure, Halligan poured in 31 goals. During the MPSF Championships (April 27-29), the Sydney, NSW, Australia native scored eight goals in three games, including a career-high four versus USC in the semifinal round (April 28).
Kapana ranked among the conference's top goalkeepers all season, totaling 180 saves (9.21 per game) and surrendering 6.14 goals per game. In a 12-8 road win over Pacific (March 11), the Newport Beach, Calif. native turned away a career-high 18 shots to cap a dominant three-game stretch for the junior. Kapana previously tallied save totals of 13 (Feb. 25) and 12 (March 10) while allowing just 10 goals in eight quarters versus Cal.
