Eight water polo players earn academic awards, team GPA ranks fifth
ORANGE, Calif. – Eight members of the Chapman University women's water polo team have been recognized as All-Academic award winners by the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) for the 2012 season. For the second consecutive year, the Panthers rank No. 5 in the nation in team grade-point average with a 3.41 mark. It's the fifth time in six years and fourth in a row that Chapman has ranked among the top-five in the nation, including all Divisions I, II, III and NAIA.
The ACWPC rankings have the Panthers No. 5 behind the likes of No. 1 Wagner (N.Y.) at 3.52, No. 2 Harvard (Mass.) at 3.51, No. 3 Connecticut College at 3.45 and No. 4 Caltech with a 3.43 mark. The rankings measure the team average based on cumulative GPAs from every player on the school's active roster.
The ACWPC All-Academic Awards are broken down into three levels based on GPA. An athlete with a GPA between 4.0 and 3.71 is "Outstanding". Those with a GPA ranging from 3.70 to 3.41 are "Superior" and between 3.40 and 3.20 is "Excellent".
Among Chapman's honorees were three freshmen earning "Outstanding" merit: goalie Kirsten Spicer (3.95), driver Kassy Parker (3.85) and 2-meter Anna Price (3.79). Besides having the highest GPA on the team, Spicer also led the Panthers with 123 blocks in goal.
Junior utilities Mandy Sheehan and All-American Sam Martin, as well as sophomore utility Juliana Botting each earned "Superior" honors. Meanwhile, junior driver Sami McLaughlin and All-America freshman utility Riley Ford earned "Excellent" honors.
Players must have competed in at least 50 percent of the team's games during the 2012 season and have at least a 3.2 GPA to earn ACWPC honors.
by Doug Aiken
Sports Information Director
Complete list of ACWPC All-Academic team: http://www.collegewaterpolocoach.org/uploads/4/8/6/0/4860444/2012_acwpc_womens_all-academic_awards.pdf
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