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Michigan's Robertson, Mantel & Golden Earn All-America Honors
ANN ARBOR, Mich.
-- Senior Leah Robertson (Newport Beach,
Calif./Newport Harbor), junior Alison Mantel
(Miami, Fla./Gulliver) and freshman Kiki Golden
(Danville, Calif./Monte Vista) of the University of
Michigan water polo team were selected for All-America honors by
the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches. Robertson earned
a spot on the third team, while Mantel and Golden garnered
honorable mention status.
Robertson collected the third All-America selection of her career,
adding her latest honor to a third team pick in 2009 and an
honorable mention in 2008. Despite an injury that kept her out of
the line-up during the middle of the season, Robertson earned Most
Valuable Player accolades for the CWPA Western Division and at the
CWPA Eastern Championship. Robertson dented the twine a career high
45 times as she strung together her third straight 50-point season.
She is the only Wolverine to earn a repeat selection to an NCAA
All-Tournament team, picking up a nomination for the third-straight
season at the 2010 championship.
Mantel was named an honorable mention All-America for the second
time in her career, pacing the Wolverines with 56 goals and a
program record 50 assists during her junior campaign. The CWPA
All-Western Division first team selection's 106-point performance
is the third highest total in program history. A star in the pool
and the classroom, Mantel was also named to the CWPA
Scholar-Athlete team and earned AWCPA All-Academic and Academic
All-Big Ten honors.
Golden becomes the second Wolverine rookie to earn All-America
status in program history. She made an immediate impact at
Michigan, bagging the CWPA Western Division Rookie of the Week
award in her first week at the college level. Golden ranked third
on the team with 29 assists and 68 points while pacing all U-M
rookies with 39 goals. The CWPA Eastern All-Tournament Rookie of
the Year excelled in the postseason, tallying 14 points and 14
steals in eight games en route to the division and conference
crown.
The AWPC selects first, second and third teams for its Division I
All-America awards. For voting, players receive three points for a
first team nomination, two points for a second team nomination, and
one point for a third team nomination. A player may earn honorable
mention if she receives votes from two schools, excluding her own.
U-M claimed its ninth CWPA division crown and third straight
conference title en route to its fifth NCAA tournament appearance
during the 2010 campaign.
N O T E S
• U-M collected a trio of All-America honors for the fourth
time in program history and second in as many seasons. Leah
Robertson, Alison Mantel and Julie Hyrne (2006-09) picked up honors
for the 2009 season; Betsey Armstrong (2002-05), Shana Welch
(2004-07) and Sheetal Narsai (2002-05) each earned All-America
recognition during the 2005 campaign and Armstrong, Jen Crisman
(2001-02) and Julie Nisbet (2001-04) were nominated in 2002.
• Robertson became just the second Wolverine to earn two
selections above honorable mention, joining Armstrong who was a
2004 second team pick and 2005 third team honoree. Robertson is the
first U-M field player to do so.
• Robertson is the fourth Wolverine to earn three All-America
distinctions. Armstrong earned four while Welch and Nisbet both
collected three.
• Kiki Golden joined Armstrong as the only freshman to earn
the All-America distinction. Armstrong was an honorable mention
All-American as a rookie in 2002. Golden is the first U-M rookie
field player to do so.
Release courtesy University of Michigan Athletic Communications
