June 18, 2008

ACWPC All-America Teams in PDF Format

STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford women's water polo landed four All-Americans on the teams announced Wednesday by the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC). Junior driver Lauren Silver led the Cardinal selections with her first selection to the First Team, and third straight All-America nod overall. Senior driver/two-meter Jacquelyn Gauthier landed a spot on the Second Team, her first career All-America selection, freshman goalkeeper Amber Oland was named to the Third Team, and sophomore driver Kelly Eaton earned her first All-America recognition with an honorable mention nod.

Wednesday's announcement also marks the fourth straight year in which Stanford has had at least four selections to the ACWPC All-America Teams, and the 12th in which the Cardinal landed a first-teamer.

Silver led the Cardinal with 71 goals and a 2.22 goals per game average in 2008. An All-MPSF First Team member, Silver posted 11 hat tricks on the year as well as 22 multi-goal performances. The junior from Long Beach was also named to the MPSF All-Tournament Team, the 2008 National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Championship All-Tournament Second Team, and was one of three finalists for the Peter J. Cutino Award, given annually to the top collegiate women's water polo player in the nation.

Gauthier enjoyed a standout final season for Stanford, taking on the additional role of playing at the two-meter spot as well as her usual driver position. The Irvine native scored a career-high 50 goals in the season, also earning All-MPSF Third Team and National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Championship All-Tournament First Team honors on top of her first career All-America selection. Gauthier posted seven hat tricks among her 17 multi-goal games in 2008, as well.

Playing in 29 games as Stanford's starting goalkeeper, Oland, a freshman from (), adjusted quickly to the college game and posted a goals-against average of 5.28 as well as making 8.24 saves per game. In addition to her All-America honor, Oland took home the MPSF Newcomer of the Year award while also earning All-MPSF Third Team and All-Freshman Team nods. Oland was also named to the MPSF All-Tournament Team.

Eaton earned the first All-America nod of her career thanks to a great scoring season which saw her nearly double her scoring output from a year ago, netting 49 goals after scoring 26 as a freshman. The Menlo Park native netted a trio of hat tricks out of her 18 multi-goal games in 2008, and was named Mikasa MPSF Player of the Week on April 7 after scoring four goals, including the overtime-forcing goal, in Stanford's 8-7 overtime win at USC on April 5.

The All-American quartet played a major role in leading Stanford to a 27-5 overall mark and third-place national finish in 2008. Stanford spent the entire season ranked in the national top three, and finished just one game out of first place in the MPSF, posting a conference record of 11-1.