LOS ANGELES – Five Bruins received postseason honors from the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC), as announced by the association today.
The awards were highlighted by three First-Team All-America honorees that included freshman goalkeeper Lauren Steele (Old Greenwich, Conn./Orange Lutheran HS), sophomore utility Anna Pearson (Irvine, Calif./Orange Lutheran HS), and graduate attacker Hannah Palmer (Irvine, Calif./Orange Lutheran HS).
Sophomore attacker Taylor Smith (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor HS) and senior attacker Malia Allen (Irvine, Calif./Foothill HS) both earned Third-Team All-America accolades.
It marked the first All-American honors for Steele, Smith, and Allen. It was the second time for Palmer, who garnered Second-Team honors in 2021. It was also the second time for Pearson, who was named to the Honorable Mention All-America team in 2023.
The UCLA Bruins (26-0) captured their eighth NCAA Championship and 12th National Championship in program history with a 7-4 win at No. 3 California on May 12. UCLA completed just the third undefeated season in program history, joining the 2005 (33-0) and 2008 (33-0) teams. Just five squads ever have now had perfect runs to NCAA Championships, with USC doing it twice (2004 and 2016). The Bruins registered the 123rd NCAA title in UCLA athletic department history. UCLA women's water polo has won 12 national championships in all, with four predating the first NCAA one. Head coach Adam Wright, who has guided the UCLA men's water polo program to four NCAA titles, did so for the first time at the helm of the women's team.
The awards were highlighted by three First-Team All-America honorees that included freshman goalkeeper Lauren Steele (Old Greenwich, Conn./Orange Lutheran HS), sophomore utility Anna Pearson (Irvine, Calif./Orange Lutheran HS), and graduate attacker Hannah Palmer (Irvine, Calif./Orange Lutheran HS).
Sophomore attacker Taylor Smith (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor HS) and senior attacker Malia Allen (Irvine, Calif./Foothill HS) both earned Third-Team All-America accolades.
It marked the first All-American honors for Steele, Smith, and Allen. It was the second time for Palmer, who garnered Second-Team honors in 2021. It was also the second time for Pearson, who was named to the Honorable Mention All-America team in 2023.
The UCLA Bruins (26-0) captured their eighth NCAA Championship and 12th National Championship in program history with a 7-4 win at No. 3 California on May 12. UCLA completed just the third undefeated season in program history, joining the 2005 (33-0) and 2008 (33-0) teams. Just five squads ever have now had perfect runs to NCAA Championships, with USC doing it twice (2004 and 2016). The Bruins registered the 123rd NCAA title in UCLA athletic department history. UCLA women's water polo has won 12 national championships in all, with four predating the first NCAA one. Head coach Adam Wright, who has guided the UCLA men's water polo program to four NCAA titles, did so for the first time at the helm of the women's team.