COLORADO SPRINGS, Col. ? The UC San Diego women's water polo team had six student-athletes named to the 2008 ACWPC All-Academic team. Stephanie Bocian, Judy Emaus and Sydney Gstettenbauer earned the highest honors at the ?excellence' level, while Bridgette Bugay, Hanalei Crowell and Nicole Hermann earned honors at the ?superior' level.
The honored student-athletes, representing many different institutions across the country, inspire the greater water polo community through their hard work and determination. As a sport, water polo maintains a reputation that is unequalled in toughness, and as a NCAA student-athlete, the academic standards are just as rigorous and demanding as the sport itself. The choices that these students have made for a balanced athletic and academic career illustrate the definitive evidence that water polo players will remain near the top of the list for academic excellence in the NCAA for years to come.
Bocian led the Tritons in assists with 50 this season. A sophomore out of Riverside, Calif., Bocian also racked up 18 goals and 41 steals.
A senior out of East Lansing, Mich., Emaus finished a well-rounded campaign at the two-meter position with 38 goals, 16 assists and 22 steals. Emaus will graduating Sunday from Revelle College with a degree in Aerospace Engineering.
Gstettenbauer, a junior from Ventura, Calif., tallied 82 goals, 47 assists and 46 steals in 2008. Her scoring total ranks second all-time among UCSD's single-season leaders. Earlier in the year, Gstettenbauer took First Team All-WWPA honors.
Bugay, a junior from Santa Barbara, Calif., finished the year with two goals, nine assists and three steals.
Crowell, a freshman from Kailua Hawaii was one of UCSD's top first year student-athletes with eight goals, six assists and 22 steals.
Hermann, a senior and co-captain from Beaverton, Ore., ranked second on UCSD's squad in goals (40) and steals (41) while earning a spot on the All-WWPA Second Team. She will graduate Sunday from Marshall College as an International Studies and Economics major and a Spanish Literature minor.
