FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State water polo team added more accolades to its 2023 season as five different Bulldogs picked up postseason honors, announced by the Golden Coast Conference on Tuesday.
For the second year in a row, Fresno State swept the individual awards as Brooke Ochoa was named the Player of the Year and Hailey Andress earned the Newcomer of the Year title.
Ochoa (first team) and Andress (second team) were both named to an All-Conference team. Andress also earned a spot on the GCC All-Freshman team. Goalkeeper Paula Nieto Jasny was a first team selection. Seniors Daphne Guevremont (second team) and Jillian Schultz (honorable mention) rounded out Fresno State's picks.
Following roster turnover, and boasting a young team entering the 2023 season, Fresno State completed its second-straight undefeated season in conference play behind the leadership and accountability of its all-conference selections. The Bulldogs enter this weekend's conference championship with an overall 15-8 record and unblemished 7-0 mark in GCC play. Fresno State won its third-straight regular season title, and looks for its third-straight conference championship title this weekend.
Brooke Ochoa - GCC Player of the Year, first team All-GCC
Ochoa earns her second career postseason recognition after leading Fresno State in goals (55), assists (27) and points (82).
Among conference players, Ochoa was in the Top 10 in goals, assists, points, steals (33), goals per game (2.4), assists per game (1.2) and points per game (3.6) in total this season. In conference play, she totaled 20 goals and 11 assists.
The Carlsbad, Calif. native scored in all but one game this season, and recorded nine games with a hat trick or better. Ochoa, just in her second year of collegiate play, becomes the second Bulldog in program history to be named GCC Player of the Year as she joins Emily Nicholson (2022) on the list.
Ochoa was a 2022 All-Freshman team selection a season ago.
Hailey Andress - GCC Newcomer of the Year, second team All-GCC, All-Freshman team
Andress was second on the team in goals (45) and points (55). She fired 101 shots on the season, the second most on the team.
Andress averaged 2.0 goals per game on the season, ranking eighth among all GCC scorers on the year. In conference play, she scored 15 goals and averaged 2.1 goals per game in that span. The freshman from Glendora, Calif. recorded a hat trick or better in seven games on the year, including a career-high six goals, on six shots, against Long Beach State. Andress was named the GCC Player of the Week once in her freshman campaign.
Andress becomes the third Bulldog in program history to be named GCC Newcomer of the Year, joining Fanni Muzsnay (2022) and Emily Nicholson (2018).
Paula Nieto Jasny – First Team All-GCC
Fresno State's primary keeper this season, Nieto Jasny totaled 176 saves on the year and 65 in conference play. She led the conference with her 10.01 goals against average this season, and was second with a .509 save percentage. She also added 26 steals this season.
Tuesday's announcement marks Nieto Jasny's second career postseason honor by the conference as she was a second team All-GCC keeper a season ago. Nieto Jasny was named the GCC Player of the Week one time this season.
Daphne Guevremont – Second Team All-GCC
Guevremont solidified her fourth-straight year with a postseason all-conference recognition, being named to the All-GCC second team on Tuesday. Guevremont was third on the team in points (54) and assists (24), and was third in goals (30).
In her career, Guevremont has earned first team (2021), honorable mention (2022) and All-Freshman team (2019) honors.
Jillian Schultz – Honorable Mention All-GCC
Schultz earned her first career postseason honor on Tuesday. She led the team in drawn exclusions, totaling 65 this season and 17 in conference play alone. She added 34 goals and three assists for 37 points, the fourth-most on the team this year.
Schultz earned one GCC Player of the Week nod this season.