LEXINGTON, Kentucky – The AVCA announced its 16 first team and six honorable mention All-American selections for the 2018 collegiate beach season.
Among the 16 first teamers are players from eight different schools. The group includes the Court 1 duo from all eight schools: Cal Poly, Florida International, Florida State, LSU, Tulane, UCLA, Hawaii and USC.
UCLA’s top pair of Nicole McNamara/Megan McNamara earned their third straight All-America honors, while Hawaii’s Emily Maglio garnered her second selection.
The McNamara twins, the shortest Court 1 duo in the nation at just 5-9, went 35-7 at the No. 1 position, including a 4-0 mark at the NCAA Championship, while leading their Bruins squad to its first ever beach national title. Nicole was named Pac-12 Player of the Year, while the duo was tabbed as Pac-12 Pair of the Year.
LSU’s top duo, Claire Coppola/Kristen Nuss, posted a 25-7 record, including 14 wins against ranked opponents during the collegiate season en route to CCSA Pair of the Year honors and went on to win last weekend’s AVCA Collegiate Beach Pairs Championship, earning a berth to the 2018 World University Games.
Maglio and partner Ka’iwi Schucht, who were the Big West Pair of the Year at 36-7 including a school record 35 dual match wins and a record 25 straight dual match wins, also were first teamers.
Torrey Van Winden/Tia Miric (Cal Poly), Federica Frasca/Margherita Bianchin (FIU), Victoria Paranagua/Vanessa Freire (Florida State), Madeline Mertz/Kaylie McHugh (Tulane) and Abril Bustamante/Tina Graudina (USC) rounded out the 16 honorees.
Graudina was tabbed as Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, while Van Winden/Miric won the inaugural Big West Pairs title. Paranagua/Friere, Frasca/Bianchin and Mertz/McHugh earned CCSA all-conference nods.
Players from Pepperdine, which the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Championships field, were recognized among the honorable mention selections alongside honorees from UCLA, Long Beach State and Grand Canyon.
Deahna Kraft/Corinne Quiggle, the West Coast Conference Pair of the Year which went 22-7, including 14-1 on Court 2, garnered honorable mention honors for the Waves.
UCLA’s No. 2 duo Lily Justine/Sarah Sponcil, who were 33-8, including 28-8 against ranked foes. Long Beach State’s Nele Barber and Grand Canyon’s Molly Turner rounded out the honorable mention selections.
Notably missing from the honorees are any selections from South Carolina, which rounded out the NCAA field.
The AVCA’s full press release is here.
AVCA First Team All-Americans
| Name | Institution | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Torrey Van Winden | California Polytechnic State University | So. |
| Tia Miric | California Polytechnic State University | Fr. |
| Federica Frasca | Florida International University | So. |
| Margherita Bianchin | Florida International University | Jr. |
| Victoria Paranagua | Florida State University | Sr. |
| Vanessa Freire | Florida State University | Sr. |
| Claire Coppola | Louisiana State University | So. |
| Kristen Nuss | Louisiana State University | So. |
| Madeline Mertz | Tulane University | Sr. |
| Kaylie McHugh | Tulane University | So. |
| Megan McNamara*** | UCLA | Jr. |
| Nicole McNamara*** | UCLA | Jr. |
| Emily Maglio** | University of Hawai’i | Jr. |
| Ka’iwi Schucht | University of Hawai’i | Sr. |
| Abril Bustamante | University of Southern California | Jr. |
| Tina Graudina | University of Southern California | Fr. |
*Denotes number of years selected to an AVCA Collegiate Beach All-America Team
AVCA Honorable Mention
| Name | Institution | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Lily Justine | UCLA | So. |
| Sarah Sponcil | UCLA | Jr. |
| Deahna Kraft | Pepperdine University | So. |
| Corinne Quiggle | Pepperdine University | Sr. |
| Nele Barber | Long Beach State University | Sr. |
| Molly Turner | Grand Canyon University | Sr. |
Leave a Reply