Seven Bruins Earn ACWPC All-American Awards
June 03, 2021 | Women's Water Polo
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BRIDGEPORT, Pa. -- Seven members of the UCLA women's water polo team earned ACWPC 2021 All-America recognition, the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches announced.
Junior center Ava Johnsonย headlined the list of Bruin selections as the lone First-Team honoree. Sophomore attacker Hannah Palmer was the only Bruin to earn Second-Team honors. The Bruins landed two on the Third-Team list which included junior attackerย Val Ayala and senior goalkeeper Jahmea Bent. Three more Bruins earned Honorable Mention All-America accolades while included senior defender Brooke Maxson, sophomore utility Abbi Hill and senior attacker Lexi Liebowitz.
Johnson was fifth on the team in scoring with 34 points (28 goals, six assists). Her 28 goals ranked tied for second on the team. She led the squad in drawn exclusions (32) and field blocks (nine) and tied for fourth on the team in steals (nine). This is the second straight All-Americaย honors for Johnson who garnered Honorable Mention acclaimย a year ago.
Palmerย ledย the team in scoring with 62 points (9th in the MPSF)ย with a team-highย 36 goals and 26 assists (tied for fifth in the MPSF).ย She was second on the team defensively with 14 steals. This is her first All-America honor.
Ayala was fourth on the team in scoring with 36 points (20 goals, 16 assists). Her 20 goals ranked fifth on the squad while the 16 assists ranked third. She led the Bruins defensively with a team-high 17 steals while ranking second with eight field blocks. This is her third consecutive All-America award after earning Second Team acclaim a year ago and Honorable Mention honors as a freshman.
Bent ranked third in the MPSF in save percentage (.533) and seventh in the league in saves (104) on the year. She also ranked eighth in the MPSF in goals against average at 8.07. This is the first All-America honor of her career.
Maxsonย tallied 16 goals and six assists on the year for a total of 22 points. She was tied for fourth on the team with nine steals and also registered three field blocks and two drawn exclusions on the year. This is her second straight All-American honor after earning Honorable Mention plaudits last year.
Liebowitzย finished third on the team in scoring with 40 points (25 goals, 15 assists). The 25 goals and the 15 assists each ranked fourth on the team. She also was third on the team in steals (11) and field blocks (seven). She drew seven exclusions on the year and won 17 sprints (tops on the team and fifth in the MPSF). This is her first All-America honor.
Hill finished second on the team in scoring with 47 points (28 goals, 19 assists). The 28 goals andย 19 assists each ranked second on the team. She also had nine steals (tied for fourth on the squad), six drawn exclusions, and three field blocks. This is her second straight All-America honor after being named to the First Team a year ago.
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