Courtesy: USA Water Polo
San Francisco, CA – May 22 – The Olympic Club has announced the women’s finalists for the Peter J. Cutino Award, an iconic honor in NCAA water polo to recognize the best men’s and women’s players each year. The women’s finalists are Emily Ausmus (USC), Tilly Kearns (USC), and Ryann Neushul (Stanford).
Emily Ausmus was named MPSF Newcomer of the Year and a member of the All-MPSF First Team. The freshman attacker scored in all 34 games for USC to become the fastest Trojan to reach the 100-goal mark on her way to setting a school single-season record with 114 goals. Ausmus also handed out 55 assists, stole the ball 46 times, and went 28-2 on sprints this season. En route to the NCAA Championship game, she scored three goals with two assists and two steals in the national quarterfinal against Harvard.
Tilly Kearns became a three-time All-MPSF First Team honoree this season for USC. The redshirt senior center scored 100 goals and finishes her career ranked third all-time in scoring for the Trojans with 262 goals. In addition to the scoring, Kearns earned 62 exclusions and notched 48 steals on the year. She earned NCAA All-Tournament First Team honors and was instrumental in propelling USC to the NCAA Championship game by scoring five goals and earning six exclusions in the national semifinal against UCLA.
Ryann Neushul was named MPSF Player of the Year and won the NCAA Championship this season with Stanford. The redshirt senior attacker scored 60 goals to push her career total to 228 which stands in fifth place all-time for the Cardinal. She claimed NCAA All-Tournament First Team honors after five goals, four assists, two blocks, and two steals throughout the run to a title. Neushul finishes her career as Stanford’s only four-time NCAA Champion as well as a four-time NCAA All-Tournament Team member and four-time All-MPSF Team selection.
The men’s finalists were announced previously and include Ryder Dodd (UCLA), Max Miller (USC), and Mihailo Vukazic (University of the Pacific).
The Cutino Awards will take place on the evening of Saturday, June 7 at The Olympic Club in San Francisco. The ceremony will be live streamed at Overnght.com. The broadcast will feature interviews with finalists, athletes, coaches plus the Cutino Award ceremony in its entirety. Those interested in attending the awards can register by clicking here.
Established in 1999 by The Olympic Club, the Cutino Award is given annually to the top men’s and women’s NCAA Division I water polo players as voted on by coaches from across the country. The namesake of the award is a legend in United States water polo history, with eight NCAA titles as head coach at Cal. The Olympic Club has a long and distinguished competitive water polo history, a tradition that continues today in the pool with some of the best age-group teams in the world.
