LA JOLLA, Calif. – Awards continue to come in for the UC San Diego women's water polo team as
Kendall Thomas and
Caroline Christl were named All-Americans by the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) Thursday.
Thomas was selected to the third team while Christl earned honorable mention.
For Thomas, a junior center, it is her first time as an All-American. It is the second All-America nod for Christl, a junior attacker, after getting ACWPC Honorable Mention in 2023.
Both Tritons were honored as 2024 All-Big West selections as well with Thomas named to the first team and Christl picking up second team accolades.
------
#15 KENDALL THOMAS
ACWPC All-America Third Team
Junior / Center
Merced, Calif. / El Capitan HS
Art History / Muir College
------
• 2024 All-Big West First Team
• 2024 All-Big West Preseason Coaches' Team
• Over 29 games, led team in drawn exclusions (45) and field blocks (7)
• Second on team in goals (50) and shots (125), third in points (61)
• Scored in 22 of 29 games played
• Multiple goals in 15 games with at least a hat trick in eight
• Scored a season-high five goals twice
• Netted 15 goals over her final five games, including three in a Big West Championship quarterfinal win against CSUN
• Registered multiple drawn exclusions 15 times with a season-high five in a Big West Championship semifinal vs. conference champion Hawai'i
• Harper Cup MVP for the second-straight season after scoring five times vs. San Diego State to retain the Cup for the eighth-straight year
• Three-time UCSDTritons.com Athlete of the Week
• Among Big West players, ranked ninth in goals
• 2023 All-Big West Second Team
• 2022 All-Big West Freshman Team
------
#4 CAROLINE CHRISTL
Junior / Attacker
ACWPC All-America Honorable Mention
San Clemente, Calif. / Santa Margarita Catholic HS
International Business / Marshall College
------
• 2024 All-Big West Second Team
• Over 29 games, led team in goals (68), points (81), and shots (153)
• Second on team in drawn exclusions (16)
• Scored in 24 of 29 games
• Multiple goals in 20 games with at least a hat trick in 17
• Scored a career-high five goals twice
• Had a 13-game scoring streak that started with four-consecutive hat tricks
• Tallied seven goals over two games at the Big West Championship, including four in a semifinal against eventual league champion Hawai'i
• Against UC Davis in the team's final Big West regular season game, set or matched career-highs in goals (5), assists (3), points (8), shots (10), and steals (2)
• Among Big West players, ranked third in goals, fourth in goals/game (2.3), seventh in points/game (2.8), and eighth in points
• 2023 All-Big West Conference First Team
• 2023 ACWPC All-America Honorable Mention
------
UC San Diego finished its season with an 18-12 overall record and a 4-3 mark in Big West play. For the third-consecutive year, the Tritons advanced to the Big West Championship semifinal round. They defeated CSUN in the quarterfinals before falling to Hawai'i, the eventual Big West champion, in the semis.
------
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Divisions I and II.
