Four Wolverines Receive ACWPC All-America Recognition
6/3/2021 3:00:00 PM | Water Polo
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) named its 2021 Women's Division I All-America teams on Thursday (June 3) with University of Michigan student-athletes Maddie O'Reilly, Erin Neustrom, Sofie Pontré and Heidi Ritner receiving recognition. O'Reilly was named to the All-America second team, while Neustrom, Pontré and Ritner each received honorable mention.
Michigan has had at least one player on the first, second or third team in each of the last six seasons under head coach Dr. Marcelo Leonardi with seven total selections. The team boasted seven total in the 14 years before his arrival.
O'Reilly, a team captain from Villanova, Pa., earned her first ACWPC All-America honor with her second-team selection. The senior started all 26 games for the Wolverines, turning in team highs in goals scored (47), assists (33) and points (80) while adding 21 steals and 11 field blocks. She tied the 10th-best single-season points-per-game mark in program history with her 1.81 average. O'Reilly was selected as the 2021 conference Player of the Year by the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA).
Neustrom earned her second honorable mention nod in as many years thanks to her 27 goals and four assists. The junior had 29 drawn exclusions on the season, giving her 145 for her career and moving her into sixth all-time in Michigan annals. The Moraga, Calif., native was a CWPA all-conference first-team member and was named to the NCAA all-tournament team.
After earning a second team All-America honor as a junior, team captain Pontré was named honorable mention for her senior season. She was again one of the team's top defensive players, starting all 26 games while registering 21 steals and six field blocks. The Perth, Western Australia, native also was an All-CWPA first team member.
Fifth-year senior Ritner also earned her second career honorable mention All-America award. Ritner started 17 games during the 2021 campaign and posted a 13-4 record in the cage while allowing 94 goals. The Newport Beach, Calif., native had a 6.77 goals-against average and a .578 save percentage while going up against one of the nation's toughest schedules.
With the quartet of Wolverines receiving All-America recognition, the program has had at least three honorees in the last three years.
