All-MPSF Women's Water Polo Teams Announced

4/27/2009 12:00:00 AM

April 27, 2009

2009 MPSF Player of the Year
KAMI CRAIG - #2 - JUNIOR - TWO-METER - USC
USC's top force in the water this season has been redshirt junior Kami Craig (Camarillo, CA/Santa Barbara HS). In addition to 36 goals scored on the year so far, Craig's strength has opened up a wildly balanced offense for USC. A two-time All-American already, Craig took the 2008 season off from action at USC in order to compete for the United States at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, where she won a silver medal with Team USA. Now back in full force with the Trojans, Craig has scored in 18 games this year and is second on the team in scoring, having punched in a new career high this season in a five-goal outing that helped earn her first career honor as an MPSF Player of the Week. She has since collected two such honors for her performances. USC recently extended its win streak to 14 straight in capturing the program's second MPSF Championship. Craig scored three goals at the conference tournament and earned numerous ejections for the Trojans to keep them on pace as the nation's top-ranked team.

2009 MPSF Newcomer of the Year
MELISSA SEIDEMANN - #2 - FRESHMAN - TWO-METER - STANFORD
Melissa Seidemann (Walnut Creek, CA/College Park HS) has made an immediate impact at Stanford in just her first season, on pace to become only the fourth true freshman to lead the Cardinal in scoring since 1997. Her 58 goals and 2.15 goals per game each lead a Cardinal squad that has posted a 24-3 record and advanced to its eighth MPSF Tournament title game in the past nine years in 2009. Seidemann's 10 hat tricks also leads the team, with three of those coming at the Irvine Invitational as the Cardinal rode her clutch scoring to the tournament crown. Her steady play at the two-meter position has played a vital role in opening up scoring opportunities for the rest of the Stanford offense around the perimeter, as six teammates have reached the 20-goal mark this season. Seidemann becomes Stanford's third MPSF Newcomer of the Year, joining teammates Lauren Silver (2006) and Amber Oland (2008) as recipients of the award.

2009 MPSF Coach of the Year
LOU TULLY - HEAD COACH - 13TH YEAR - SAN JOSE STATE
Lou Tully completed his 13th season in 2009 as San Jose State University's only women's water polo head coach. With Tully in charge, the Spartans reached the 20-win plateau in a season for just the second time in school history with their 20-14 record this year. The Spartans set a school record with nine consecutive victories near the end of the regular season. San Jose State toppled nine top-10 ranked teams including then #4 ranked Hawai'i. The 2009 team is the highest scoring team in school history with 377 goals, far surpassing the 300 goals scored by the 2007 team. A school record four players scored 50 or more goals this season.