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2008 CWPA Referee of the Year Recipients Listed in October Edition of Referee Magazine
FRANKSVILLE, Wisc. -- Alex
Stankevitch, Eddie Ajuz and
Michelle Woods, who were honored as the Referee of
the Year, Most Improved Referee and Rookie of the Year,
respectively, by their fellow officials with the 2008 Collegiate
Water Polo Association Referee Awards, are listed in the Awards and
Honors section of the October 2008 edition of Referee
magazine.
A 1998 graduate of the University of California-Santa Barbara,
Stankevitch picked up his second Referee of the Year award as he
previously received the honor in 2003.
It capped off a season in which he was selected to seven
championship referee crews as Stankevitch was picked for the
Southern Championship, Eastern Championship and NCAA Championship
during the 2007 men's season before taking on assignments at the
Elite 6, Southern, Eastern and NCAA Championships during the 2008
women's season.
The award ties him with Mark Koganov (2007, 2004) and Loren
Bertocci (2001, 1999) for the second most Referee of the Year
awards in conference history as the trio trails Michael Goldenberg
(2005, 2002, 2000).
Overall, the award marked Stankevitch's third CWPA honor as he
received the 2001 Most Improved Referee Award and moved him to
within one award of tying Koganov, who received the 2000 and 2002
Most Improved Referee awards, as being the most decorated official
in conference history. Further, he joins Koganov as being the only
officials to receive both the Most Improved and Referee of the Year
awards.
Ajuz and Woods earned their first officiating awards from the
Collegiate Water Polo Association as they were named the Most
Improved Referee and Rookie of the Year, respectively.
A 2002 graduate of the University of Central Florida, Ajuz was
selected to the Elite 6 and Eastern Championship referee crews
during the 2008 women's season.
Born in Los Angles, California and a native of Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, Ajuz grew up in Pembroke Pines, Florida and attended Cooper
City High School where he played water polo for four years. While
at UCF from 2000-2002, Ajuz played two years of club water polo in
the Collegiate Water Polo Association.
Following college, he worked internationally as a financial analyst
first in Brazil (2004) and later Spain (2005) before moving to
Southern Florida where he changed careers and became a high school
teacher and full-time referee.
A 2006 graduate of the University of California-Berkeley, Woods
excelled in her first year with the Collegiate Water Polo
Association earning assignments in the men's Pacific Coast Division
and the women's Pacific Coast, Sierra Pacific and Texas Divisions.
In addition, she was selected to referee the women's Sierra Pacific
Division Championship.
A publication of the National Association of Sports Officials, Referee is published monthly by Referee Enterprises, Inc.
