Feb. 20, 2012

2011 ACWPC All-America Teams

STANFORD, Calif. - Four Stanford men's water polo players earned All-America nods from the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches Monday. Freshman Alex Bowen highlighted the picks by being named to the first team.

Redshirt sophomore Forrest Watkins earned a spot on the ACWPC's second team, senior Jacob Smith was named to the third team and senior Peter Sefton earned honorable mention.

Stanford finished the 2011 season 19-7 overall and ranked fourth in the country.

Bowen, named MPSF Newcomer of the Year in November, led the Cardinal with 53 goals in 2011. He became the first true freshman to lead the Cardinal in scoring since Wigo (2006) and Tony Azevedo (2001). He posted 17 multi-goal games, including 12 hat tricks. The highlight of those performances was a six-goal effort in a 10-9 overtime win over California that clinched Stanford's first SoCal Tournament title since 2002.

Watkins earned his first All-America selection thanks to a breakout season in which he scored 42 goals. One of Stanford's key offensive targets in 2011, Watkins scored seven times at the MPSF Championship and was named to the All-MPSF First Team.

Monday's announcement also marked the second All-America selection for Smith. The Coronado native scored 42 goals on the year, tied for second with Watkins. Sefton, a fellow senior, was a fixture for a Cardinal defense that ranked second in the MPSF with 6.00 goals allowed per game. He also ranked fourth on the team with a career-high 30 goals.