Mountain Pacific Sports Federation

All-MPSF Women's Water Polo Awards

4/25/2019 6:12:22 PM

 
Stanford junior driver Makenzie Fischer (Laguna Beach, CA/Laguna Beach HS) led the Cardinal to an unbeaten MPSF season and 19-1 overall record. She enters the postseason with an MPSF-high 76 goals on the year, easily a conference-best four goals per game. She has accounted for 28 percent of Stanford’s scoring in MPSF games (24 goals), and 23 percent through 20 overall games. Fischer was named MPSF/KAP 7 Player of the Week a high of four times this year. Her April 9 award came after scoring five of Stanford’s seven goals in a 7-6 win over No. 3 UCLA, her seventh game with at least five goals. She tallied a 2019 MPSF single-game high of eight goals in a February 2 win over No. 8 Michigan, second-most all-time in the conference. Fischer has a career total of 197 goals entering the postseason, three away from becoming the 44th player in the MPSF to reach 200. Fischer represents the seventh MPSF Player of the Year award for Stanford (Fischer-2019, Maggie Steffens-2017 & 2015, Annika Dries-2011, Brenda Villa-2003 & 2001, Ellen Estes-1998).  
Stanford freshman Ryann Neushul (Goleta, CA/Dos Pueblos HS) put away 27 goals on the year, with an MPSF 17th-ranked average of 1.35 per game. Neushul was twice named MPSF/KAP7 Newcomer of the Week, with both honors coming in April. On March 30, she scored twice and drew five exclusions at No. 1 USC to help snap the Trojans’ 36-game win streak. In the final week of the regular season, she accumulated five goals and three steals across wins over No. 9 UC Davis and No. 20 San Jose State, which helped wrap Stanford’s unbeaten conference season. Neushul had seven multi-goal outings in the regular season. Neushul is Stanford’s conference record seventh MPSF Newcomer of the Year recipient (Neushul-2019; Kat Klass-2016; Jordan Raney-2015; Kiley Neushul-2012; Melissa Seidemann-2009; Amber Oland-2008; Lauren Silver-2006).
 
Stanford Head Coach John Tanner guided the Cardinal to an unbeaten MPSF regular season and 19-1 overall record heading to the postseason, as Stanford seeks a sixth MPSF Championship and seventh NCAA title. Tanner is the only coach in the nation who has taken his team to every NCAA Tournament since the inception of NCAA Women’s Water Polo in 2001. Stanford ranks first in scoring offense and second in defense in the MPSF this year. The Cardinal placed five players on the all-conference teams, with three combined on the first and second teams, while Makenzie Fischer (player of the year) and Ryann Neushul (newcomer of the year) completed a Stanford sweep of the major awards. This is the sixth MPSF Coach of the Year award for Tanner (2019, 2008, 2007 2003, 2001, 1998), which ties the all-time record in the conference.