Lundgren, Riddle, Schultz and Benson Earn MAAC Water Polo Honors
MAAC Sports
EDISON, N.J. - Wagner College's Jess Lundgren has been named the 2015 MAAC Water Polo Offensive Player of the Year, while her teammate, Emily Riddle, earned Defensive Player of the Year honors to headline the 2015 Water Polo All-MAAC Teams, as voted by the league's head coaches.
Additionally, Iona College’s Hannah Schultz earned Rookie of the Year honors, and Natalie Benson, Marist College head coach, was selected as the 2015 Lids Team Sports MAAC Coach of the Year.
Lundgren, a junior from Queensland, Australia, was second in the MAAC in goals scored this season, finishing out the regular season with 109 goals and a 3.51 goals per game average. Lundgren led the league in points with 165. The 2014 MAAC Defensive Player of the Year steered Wagner to a 10-2 MAAC record, en route to earning the second seed in this year's championship. Lundgren was named Offensive Player of the week six times on the season.
Riddle, a sophomore from Edmonton, Alberta, was a key contributor for her team’s success this season. She ranked third in the league in saves with 199 and was eighth in the league in save percentage with a .484 percentage. Riddle posted a 7.68 goals against average in Wagner’s 22-8 season. She was chosen as the Defensive player of the week on five separate occasions this season.
Schultz, the freshman from Tinley Park, Illinois, netted a league best 110 goals and was fourth in the MAAC in points with 115 on the season. Schultz was first on her team in kick outs with 38 and she was chosen as Rookie of the Week four times this year while being named Offensive player of the week once.
Benson, who was also the 2014 MAAC Coach of the Year Recipient, led her program to an overall record of 19-13, including an 11-1 mark in the MAAC. Her team was second in the MAAC in goals scored, while putting together a seven game winning streak in conference matches to end the season and earn the first seed in the 2015 MAAC Women's Water Polo Championship.
Joining Lundgren, Riddle, and Schultz on the All-MAAC First Team were Marist's Amanda Amorosa and Jessica Hamby, Villanova’s Naomi Ng, and Wagner's Jessica Burdge and Lily Doerfler.
The All-MAAC Second Team members included Iona’s Taylor Silva, Marist’s Alison Hamby and Anna-Lena Hathaway, Siena’s Stephanie Bundas, St. Francis (NY) Bernadette Laszlo, VMI’s Shelby Barkley, Wagner’s Megan Rodriguez, and Goalkeeper Skyler Henry of Marist College.
All-MAAC First Team
Hannah Schultz, Iona
Amanda Amorosa, Marist
Jessica Hamby, Marist
Naomi Ng, Villanova
Jess Burdge, Wagner
Lily Doerfler, Wagner
Jess Lundgren, Wagner
Emily Riddle, Wagner
All-MAAC Second Team
Taylor Silva, Iona
Alison Hamby, Marist
Anna-Lena Hathaway, Marist
Stephanie Bundas, Siena
Bernadette Laszlo, St. Francis (NY)
Shelby Barkley, VMI
Megan Rodriguez, Wagner
Skyler Henry, Marist
Offensive Player of the Year
Jess Lundgren, Wagner
Defensive Player of the Year
Emily Riddle, Wagner
Rookie of the Year
Hannah Schultz, Iona
Coach of the Year
Natalie Benson, Marist