Five Women of Troy Earn All-MPSF Honors
May 04, 2011 | Women's Water Polo
May 4, 2011
The USC women's water polo team has pushed five players through to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation honor roll for 2011. Led by two-time All-American seniors Joelle Bekhazi and Kristen Dronberger on the All-MPSF Second Team, the Trojans have junior Nadia Dan and sophomore Patricia Jancso picking up All-MPSF Honorable Mention while freshman Madeline Rosenthal has a spot on the All-MPSF Newcomer Team.
For senior driver Joelle Bekhazi, her selection to the All-MPSF Second Team is the third straight such honor of her career. USC's second leading scorer this season, the two-time All-American has climbed to rank No. 12 all-time at USC in career scoring with 131 career goals as she and the Women of Troy prepare to enter the 2011 NCAA Championships next week. A 2010 NCAA champion, she's now six goals away from cracking the top-10, thanks to goals in 19 games so far this season with 10 multiple-goal games, including a new career high of five goals scored in a game at last week's MPSF Tournament. Bekhazi was named to the MPSF All-Tournament Team.
Senior two-meter Kristen Dronberger was a 2008 MPSF All-Freshman Team pick in her first year at Troy. She has since been named an All-American twice on her way into her senior season, in which she now holds a spot on the All-MPSF Second Team. Dronberger is currently third on the team in scoring, setting a new season best for herself with 36 goals to date. That count has Dronberger also working her way up the career ladder with 119 career goals, just three out of the No. 13 slot. She was selected to the 2010 NCAA All-Tournament First Team last year when the Trojans claimed the national championship.
Two more members of last year's 2010 NCAA championship team have also worked their ways on the All-MPSF list. Junior Nadia Dan now has the first All-MPSF honors of her career with 2011 All-MPSF Honorable Mention. She and fellow Honorable Mention recipient Patricia Jancso lead the Trojans with goals in 21 games apiece this season. Jancso was an All-American and selected MPSF Newcomer of the Year with a spot on the All-MPSF Honorable Mention list last season as a freshman when the Trojans won the title. This year, Jancso leads USC in scoring with 39 goals to date. Dan isn't far behind, having set a new best for herself with 34 goals to date, thanks in part to starting out the year with three straight hat tricks to open her junior campaign.
Rounding out this year's honorees is USC freshman Madeline Rosenthal. The two-meter player picked up MPSF Newcomer of the Week honors this year and has provided 16 goals for the USC while also earning a great deal of ejections on the offensive end and serving as a key defender in her first year as a Trojan.
Strangely absent from the All-MPSF Newcomer Team is USC freshman goalie Flora Bolonyai, who was a three-time MPSF Newcomer of the Week selection this season and has played in every game this year. This year also marks the first time since 1998 that USC has not had at least one player named to the All-MPSF First Team.
The Women of Troy are now lined up for their eighth straight NCAA Tournament appearance with a trip to Ann Arbor, Mich., on the agenda next week as USC opens the 2011 NCAA Championships with an NCAA quarterfinal clash against UC Irvine at 7:30 p.m. ET on May 13.
