Thompson, Mata’afa Headline MPSF All-Conference Honors

ERIE, Pa. – Penn State Behrend men's water polo freshman Nick Thompson (Hudsonville, MI/Hudsonville) earned 2024 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) East Newcomer of the Year, while head coach Gina-Bella Mata'afa was named Coach of the Year for the second straight season.

Thompson ranks fifth in the entire MPSF with 49 goals, ninth in total points with 62, and 10^th in steals with 32.

In his first collegiate season, he secured his second MPSF Newcomer of the Week award after he tallied 12 goals, three assists, three steals, and three field blocks in four conference games at the Austin Invite, which included two victories. His first Newcomer of the Week honor came after a nine goal and eight steals performance in four games at the Gannon Invite. Thompson recorded three takeaways vs. Mercyhurst and Salem, while scoring four goals against McKendree.

Thompson is the first-ever player in program history to be major conference award winner and is one of three freshmen from both divisions combined to be named to the All-MPSF First Team.

Joining Thompson on the First Team was senior Jack Holl (Greenwich, CT/Greenwich).

Holl sits third in the conference in goals (62), seventh in performance indicator (83), and eighth in points (65). This marks the third year in row that Holl has notched All-MPSF First Team honors

Freshman Atticus Bowman (Albuquerque, NM/Volcano Vista) garnered a spot on the All-Conference Second Team, ranking first in the conference in assists with 71, while being second in points (82) and ninth in performance indicator (76.2)

Rounding out the All-Conference Team for the Lions was goalie Ethan Friedman (Valley Center, CA/Valley Center) as an Honorable Mention

Friedman has registered a conference-high 180 saves in net and is also fifth with 33 steals to finish the regular season.

This is the second straight year that Friedman has been tabbed MPSF Honorable Mention.

After securing 2023 Coach of the Year honors as a first-year head coach, Mata'afa has once again claimed this honor.

She has led the squad to seven regular-season wins in each of her first two years, tying the program record which was achieved just two other times since 2000. Behrend picked up four MPSF wins this year, which is the most-ever for the program.

In her two years as the leader of the program, Mata'afa has landed a combined 10 student-athletes on the All-Conference Team, which includes a program-high six players being selected last season and the first-ever major award recipient in Thompson this season.