SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Katherine O'Dea of the UCLA women's water polo team was named MPSF/S&R Sport Newcomer of the Week Tuesday, the conference announced. The award is her first.

O'Dea, a freshman attacker from Long Beach, Calif., scored three total goals as the second-ranked Bruins recorded home wins against No. 8 Indiana (Feb. 27) and No. 12 Michigan (Feb. 28). UCLA improved to 12-1 going into Saturday's league showdown with top-ranked Stanford (1 p.m. PT).

Eleven Bruins scored in an 18-7 victory against the Hoosiers. O'Dea was active on both sides of the ball, collecting two first-half steals before scoring during the fourth quarter.

She found the back of the net twice in a 17-8 triumph over the Wolverines. Both goals came during a tightly-contested first half. O'Dea's second pushed UCLA's lead to 7-5 going into halftime. She also tallied three assists and a steal.

This is the Bruins' second weekly award of 2026. Attacker Taylor Smith was voted MPSF/Delfina Player of the Week Feb. 3 after a strong performance at the Triton Invitational.

Others nominated: Despoina Drakotou (CAL), Natalia Blazevic (USC)