TEMPE -- Ianeta Hutchinson, a senior at Arizona State University, is the recipient of the Elite 89 award for the 2014 NCAA Division I Women’s Water Polo Championship.
Hutchinson, majoring in psychology, currently carries a 4.00 GPA. Hutchinson was presented with the award during the NCAA Women’s Water Polo Championship banquet on Thursday evening in Los Angeles. Hutchinson is the second-ever recipient of the award for the Sun Devils after Bailey Wigness earned the honor last season for women’s softball.
Hutchinson has long been a star in the classroom and the team’s lone senior helped lay the building blocks towards Arizona State’s first NCAA tournament appearance this season.
Coming out of Mt. Albert Grammar School in Auckland, New Zealand, Hutchinson was thrown right into the fire as a freshman in 2011 as she started and played in 25 of the team's 26 games, with 171 saves – a total that ranked her seventh on Arizona State's all-time single season list at the time.
Hutchinson again saw the majority of the action as a sophomore as she helped guide the Devils to a then-program best 25-6 record as she averaged 9.06 saves per game – good for fifth on ASU’s all-time single season list.
She will finish her career with 479 career saves and 52 percent save percentage all while also being an exceptional student-athlete, as she was named to the MPSF All-Academic team three times as well as an Outstanding Merit recognition by the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPA) in its annual All-Academic Awards in 2012.
The Elite 89, an award founded by the NCAA, recognizes the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the national championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. The Elite 89 is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s championships.
Eligible student-athletes are sophomores or above who have participated in their sport for at least two years with their school. They must be an active member of the team, traveling and a designated member of the squad size at the championship. All ties are broken by the number of credits completed.
For more information on the Elite 89 award winners, log on to NCAA.com/elite89.