Seven Sun Devils Earn ACWPA Recognition for Water Polo

Sun Devil Athletics

July 22, 2015

TEMPE -- Seven members from the Arizona State University water polo team have earned recognition from the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches for the 2014-15 campaign, with three nabbing All-America team honors and four achieving academic excellence, the ACWPA announced.

Sophomore attacker Izabella Chiappini earned her first All-America selection with Third-Team honors while fellow sophomores E.B. Keeve and Alkistis Benekou received Honorable Mention nods.

Chiappini played an impactful role on the Sun Devil squad, netting 56 goals and 23 assists on the year. She topped the team with 79 total points and 26 steals, helping her earn her first All-MPSF distinction as well.

For Keeve, this is her third consecutive year nabbing an All-American title. Keeve logged 239 total saves and averaged 12.75 saves per game as netminder for the Sun Devils this past season.

Benekou is also no stranger to the All-American team earning her second Honorable Mention. As a commanding center, Benekou led the team in exclusions drawn with 54 and finished with 41 goals on the season.

Like Chiappini, both Keeve and Benekou received All-MPSF honors. Chiappini’s selection made her the 14th Sun Devil in program history to be named to an All-America team.

With three selections, ASU placed three or more student-athletes on the All-America team for the fifth consecutive season. Since 2011, the Sun Devils have posted 17 All-American honors compared to just 10 total in its history prior to the current run.

The team also excelled in academics, scoring a spot on the ACWPA All-Academic team with a cumulative 3.03 G.P.A.

Freshman attacker Lena Mihailovic earned an “Outstanding” recognition in her first year of college while fellow freshman Viviane Bahia and juniors Abbey Kerth and Katie Svercheck snagged “Superior” accolades.

This is Svercheck’s second season in a row attaining academic honors, earning an “Excellent” rating in 2014 and improving to “Superior” this year.

For Kerth, who majors in business at the highly esteemed W.P Carey School of Business at ASU, this is her third consecutive year earning an All-Academic award with Superior honors.

The All-Academic awards are separated into three different tiers based on the student-athlete’s overall GPA. An “Outstanding” mark is granted to those who achieved a 3.71 to 4.00 GPA, a “Superior” honor to those with a 3.41 to 3.70 and “Excellent” rating to those with a 3.20 to 3.40.

Overall 41 players have earned ACWPC All-Academic awards during their Sun Devil careers with 80 awards in total. The squad has made the All-Academic Team as a program in eight seasons.

Arizona State Water Polo All-Americans

Year-by-Year Selections:

2015 • Izabella Chiappini (3rd), Alkistis Benekou (HM), E.B. Keeve (HM)

2014 • Ao Gao (2nd), E.B. Keeve (3rd), Alkistis Benekou (HM), Petra Pardi (HM)

2013 • Alicia Brightwell (2nd), Ao Gao (2nd), Shannon Haas (3rd), E.B. Keeve (HM) 

2012 • Alicia Brightwell (1st), Shannon Haas (3rd), Mariam Salloum (HM)

2011 • Sarah Harris (HM), Mariam Salloum (HM), Lynlee Smith (HM)   

2010 • Sarah Harris (HM), Lynlee Smith (HM)   

2009 • Addison McGrath (2nd), Lynlee Smith (HM)

2008 • Addison McGrath (1st) Kelly Phelps (HM), Caylinn Wallace (HM)

2007 • Addison McGrath (HM)   

2006 • Rowie Webster (3rd)   