Poughkeepsie, NY – The No. 19 Wagner women's water polo team (23-10, 14-0 MAAC) garnered two major individual awards at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Awards Banquet as senior goalkeeper Emily Riddle (Edmonton, Alberta / Dr. E.P. Scarlett) was named MAAC Defensive Player of the Year and junior utility Kimberly Watson (Pointe-Claire, Quebec / John Rennie) was selected as the league's Co-Offensive Player of the Year.
 
A forced in the cage for the Green & White, Riddle started every game for the Seahawks, accumulating 210 saves and 36 steals on the season. As the second all-time leader in saves in Wagner's program history, the senior netminder also ranks second in the conference on the year. Riddle registered double figures in blocks on eight occasions, including back-to-back twelve save performances against Iona and Marist on March 29 and April 1, respectively. In addition to being named Defensive Player of the Year, Riddle was also named to the All-MAAC First Team for the second time in her collegiate career.

One of the top playmakers for the Seahawks throughout the 2017 season, Watson recorded 123 points on 92 goals and 31 saves. She stands in the top ten in the conference in nine different statistical categories while her 92 strikes puts her at the top of the leaderboard for the season. Additionally, the utility player broke her own single-season record for sprints won set in 2016, winning a league-high 89. Watson joins Riddle on the All-MAAC First Team for the first time in her career on Grymes Hill.

The Green & White also totaled two members on the All-MAAC Second Team. Junior attack Elise Begg (Newbury Park, CA / Newbury Park) and freshman center Millie Pullyblank (Victoria, Australia / Haileybury Girls College) earn second team recognition after collecting 66 and 55 points, respectively on the season.

The Seahawks also led the way on the All-Academic Team as all 11 eligible players earned a spot on the team. In order to be eligible, a student-athlete must spend two full semesters at the institution and post a 3.2 cumulative GPA.

Wagner All-Academic Team Members
Lacey Anderson, Jr., Biopsychology
Elise Begg, Jr., Business Administration
Erica Hardy, So., Biopsychology
Abby Irving, So., Biopsychology
Natalia Kayton, So., English
Sarah Limanni, So., Nursing
Gabryel Oloapu, Sr., Psychology
Emily Riddle, Sr., Business Administration
Amanda Sutherland, Sr., Government and Politics
Anna Ward, Jr., Art
Kimberly Watson, Jr., Business Administration
 
In addition to the individual awards, the program was recognized for its second-straight regular season title after posting a perfect 14-0 conference record. This marks the second consecutive year that the Seahawks have gone undefeated in league play.

The three-time defending champions take on the fourth-seeded Iona Gaels in the first semifinal matchup Saturday, April 29 at 12:00 pm. Stream the game live, HERE on MAAC.TV.

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