Cortney Collyer, a former Santa Barbara High star playing for UC Irvine, was named to the All-Big West first team for women’s water polo. She is a repeat first-team selection.
Collyer led the Anteaters to the Big West Tournament championship and a NCAA Tournament berth.
Four UCSB women’s water polo players were named All-Big West. Senior Kathryn Nelson and sophomore Ruth Milne were each honored with second team accolades while seniors Claire Buchanan and Christie Clark garnered honorable mention distinction.
Nelson, a utility player, led the Gauchos in scoring this season tallying 54 goals to go along with 16 assists and a team-leading 37 steals. The senior led UCSB in scoring in 10 of its games and scored in all but four of the games she played in.
A year after earning Honorable Mention All-Big West honors, Milne was named to the Second Team. The goalkeeper started every game in goal for the Gauchos and accumulated 312 saves during the year for an 11.52 saves per game average, which led the conference.
Buchanan, a senior utility player, earned her first career Big West honor with her Honorable Mention nod. She was second on the team with 42 goals and led the team with a whopping 86 ejections earned.
Clark’s All-Big West honor marks the second of her career; she was named to the Second Team in 2010. The senior was third on the team with 29 goals this season and also tallied 14 assists, 14 steals and drew 30 ejections for the Gauchos.
UCSB finished the 2011 campaign with 16-13 overall record and tied for second in the Big West regular season standings with a 3-2 league mark. The Gauchos’ four All-Big West honorees marks its most since the conference began sponsoring water polo in 2009.
