SAN FRANCISCO (May 13, 2019) - The Olympic Club announced finalists for the Peter J. Cutino Award, an iconic honor in NCAA Division I water polo to recognize the best men's and women's players each year. The men's finalists are Ben Hallock (Stanford), Johnny Hooper (Cal), and Alex Wolf (UCLA) while the women's list features Makenzie Fischer (Stanford), Amanda Longan (USC), and Paige Hauschild (USC).
The winner will be announced at the annual award gala hosted by The Olympic Club in their downtown San Francisco clubhouse on Saturday, June 1. For the first time the Cutino Award ceremony will be broadcast LIVE courtesy of USA Water Polo. The broadcast, which will start with a one hour pre-show live from The Olympic Club will be hosted by
Greg Mescall and 3x Olympic medalist and two-time Cutino Award recipient Kami Craig. The program will feature interviews with finalists, athletes, coaches and more plus the Cutino Award ceremony in its entirety. The broadcast will air free of charge at
YouTube.com/USAWP and
Facebook.com/USAWP.
Hallock, a sophomore center from Studio City, Calif., helped lead Stanford to the NCAA Championship game. The 2016 Olympian for Team USA tallied five goals in that title game, and led the Cardinal with 65 goals during the season. Hallock earned Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Player of the Year honors in November. Hooper, a senior attacker from Los Angeles, finished his Cal career as one of the most prolific scorers in program history. His 245 career goals ranked second only to Chris Humbert (296) on the Bears' all-time list. Hooper led Cal with 49 goals in 2018. He received MPSF all-tournament recognition, notching five goals, 12 assists, and nine steals while helping the Golden Bears reach the final. Wolf, a junior goalkeeper from Huntington Beach, Calif., helped lead UCLA to the NCAA Semifinals. Wolf racked up 163 saves in 19 starts, ielding just 102 goals for a 6.71 goals-against average for the Bruins in 2018.
Fischer, a junior driver from Laguna Beach, Calif., was the MPSF Player of the Year. She led the Cardinal in scoring with 83 goals, helping them reach the MPSF Championship game and win the 2019 NCAA Championship. Fischer was a Cutino finalist in 2018 as well. Longan, a senior goalkeeper from Moorpark, Calif., was a First-Team All-MPSF selection. She had 260 saves in 2019 for the Trojans, helping them to another MPSF Championship. Longan is second on USC's career saves list with 840, and won the Cutino Award in 2018. Hauschild, a sophomore driver from Santa Barbara, Calif., was one of just two sophomores to receive First-Team All-MPSF honors. She had 49 goals, second on the Trojans' scoring list this season. Hauschild was also a finalist for the Cutino Award in 2018 as a true freshman.
Established in 1999 by The Olympic Club, the Cutino Award is given annually to the top men's and women's NCAA Division I water polo players as voted on by coaches from across the country. The namesake of the award is a legend in United States water polo history, with eight NCAA titles as head coach at Cal. The Olympic Club has a long and distinguished competitive water polo history, a tradition that continues today in the pool with some of the best age-group teams in the world.
ABOUT THE OLYMPIC CLUB
Founded in 1860, The Olympic Club enjoys the distinction of being amongst the oldest athletic clubs in America. Since its birth, The Olympic Club has fostered amateur athletics in San Francisco. The Winged "O" currently fields teams in 16 sports. Additionally, The Olympic Club has hosted five U.S. Opens, and looks forward to hosting the 2021 U.S. Women's Open, 2028 PGA Championship, and 2032 Ryder Cup at its world-class Lakeside Clubhouse golf courses.
