Water polo: Bruin favored to win prestigious national award

For three straight years the national water polo player of the
year award has been in his possession, and Tony Azevedo, a recent
graduate of Stanford, is not ready to give it up. But Azevedo,
perhaps the most dominating collegiate water polo player ever, is
not a shoo-in to win the Peter J. Cutino Award ““ water
polo’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy ““ again this
year. Instead many collegiate coaches believe it is UCLA’s
Brett Ormsby who may have the best chance to take the coveted award
on June 4. “I think Brett deserves to win the award,
there’s no question about it,” UCLA coach Adam
Krikorian said. “Not to discredit Tony ““ he’s
possibly the greatest collegiate player to play this game. Brett
led his team to a championship this year, and Tony has done that in
previous years. “I’d be surprised if it’s not a
close vote.” Ormsby’s numbers and accomplishments pit
him as the favorite. The driver led UCLA with 70 goals and 30
steals in the season and was second on the team with 23 assists en
route to defeating Azevedo’s Cardinal in the NCAA Finals.
Ormsby, a two-time Cutino finalist and 2004 Olympian, was named
NCAA Division I Player of the Year by the American Water Polo
Coaches Association over Azevedo. But for the humble nature of the
El Cajon native, the fact that he is considered for such a
prestigious award along with Azevedo and USC’s Juraj Zatovic,
the other Cutino finalist, is an honor in itself. “Tony has a
very good chance again and the fact that I get to be alongside with
him shows what I have done this year,” Ormsby said. “It
won’t be too big of a disappointment if I don’t get it
this year because my goal this season was to win an NCAA title, not
to win awards, the Cutino, or anything else.” The Cutino
Award will be announced at a ceremony sponsored by the San
Francisco Olympic Club. The voting process is based on 47
Division-I men’s water polo coaches tabulating their choice
for the athlete that had the best 2004 season. Gary Crook, the
athletic director for the Olympic Club, believes the fact that
Ormsby led his team to a title and won the Player of the Year award
bodes well for his chances this season. “I think his chances
are very good,” Crook said. “Although Tony has won it
the last three years, a lot of players have come up to his level
because he’s given them something to shoot for. Brett knows
he’s done all he can do to dethrone the man some have said is
the best water polo player in the world,” he added. Azevedo,
a driver, tallied 80 goals on the year, putting his career numbers
at 322, the most ever by a Stanford player. The Long Beach native
is a two-time Olympian and boasts two NCAA titles to his name as
well as four consecutive Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Player
of the Year nods in his career. “If coaches vote based on one
year, then it would be more of an upset for Brett not to get
it,” Crook said. “But I think a lot of them think
career. If they look at Tony’s career, it’s going to be
interesting.”

THE WOMEN’S AWARD: As for the women’s side,
UCLA’s Natalie Golda and Thalia Munro, along with USC’s
Brittany Hayes, were all named as finalists. Golda, a senior,
finished with 43 goals, 19 assists and 18 steals at the end of the
regular season and was named conference Most Valuable Player after
leading the Bruins to an MPSF title. Munro, a junior, finished
second in goals with 49, 25 assists, and 44 steals. Both Bruins led
Team USA to a bronze medal during the 2004 Summer Olympics and both
have led UCLA to an undefeated 30-game winning streak, the longest
in UCLA and NCAA history. Hayes led the Trojans to an undefeated
record and an NCAA title in her freshman year last year and leads
USC in goals scored this season at 46. Despite two Bruins getting
the heralded nomination, Krikorian can’t help but think two
other UCLA players ““ sophomores Emily Feher and Kelly Rulon
““ are also deserving of the award as well. “In my eyes,
I have four legitimate Cutino Award finalists,” Krikorian
said. “Thalia and Natalie unquestionably deserve it, but so
do Kelly and Emily. It’s unfortunate you only get three, and
unfortunate that between all the girls, we probably split some
votes somewhere.” The last time UCLA players swept the Peter
J. Cutino Award was in 2001 when Sean Kern and Coralie Simmons
accomplished that feat.

BRUINS HONORED: After taking home the MPSF title this past
weekend, the Bruins earned a multitude of conference honors.
Krikorian and Hawai’i coach Michael Roy shared MPSF Co-Coach
of the Year. Golda and Rulon each got a share of the Player of the
Year. Sophomore goalie Emily Feher earned conference Goalie of the
Year. Golda, Rulon and Feher were named to the All-MPSF Team and
Munro went to the All-MPSF Second Team. Freshman Gabrielle Domanic
was given the All-MPSF Honorable Mention and both she and Brittany
Rowe earned spots on the All-MPSF Freshman Team.