ERIE, Pa. – The Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) announced the end of year awards for Division III on Sunday, tabbing five from Penn State Behrend as All-CWPA choices.
Head coach Joe Tristan earns his second Coach of the Year award after tying the program record for wins, set back in the 2018 season where he won his first end of year accolade. The Lions ended the season with a 5-3 league record, clinching the CWPA Tournament as the sixth-seeded team. Tristan played a role in having five players earn weekly honors this season and coached freshman Marley Persch (Hudsonville, MI/Hudsonville) to be named Rookie of the Year with four making the All-Conference team.
Persch takes CWPA Rookie of the Year and All-CWPA first team following an impressive debut season that resulted in weekly honors on three different occasions. On March 24, Persch was announced as Rookie of the Week, playing a key role in the Lions two-win weekend during the first week of league play. Persch led in scoring over those four games with 12 goals. Overall, Persch was a driving force for Behrend on the offensive side of the ball and continued into the postseason, netting five goals against Connecticut.
Shannon Young (Roseville, CA/Roseville) finishes her junior year as a first team All-CWPA choice. Young was named Offensive Player of the Week back on March 17, averaging 4.5 points per game over two games including a five-goal outing in a victory over Caltech. In their final game of the CWPA Tournament, Young potted five in a one-goal loss to Carthage and scored in each game throughout the weekend.
Emily McNaughton (Wexford, PA/Pine-Richland) clinched second-team honors, scoring five goals throughout the tournament with four coming against Connecticut in the opening round. McNaughton had a strong season offensively and contributed to one the best wins in program history. McNaughton scored the equalizer against Grove City in double overtime and seconds later scored the eventual game-winning marker with just 12 seconds remaining to give the Lions the win in league action. McNaughton found the Offensive Honor Roll on two occasions this season.
Chloe Dodgen (Riverside, CA/Hillcrest) joins McNaughton as a second team All-CWPA selection. The Behrend netminder was named Defensive Player of the Week on April 14 for her contributions in the final weekend of the regular season. Dodgen combined to make 30 saves over four games, boasting a record of 3-1. That weekend, Dodgen made nine saves in the double-overtime victory over Grove City. Dodgen was a Defensive Honorable Mention on March 17 as Behrend went 1-1 while making 17 saves over two contests.
