June 30, 2010

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Coming off one of its best seasons in school history, the LMU women's water polo program continues to earn honors from that season. This time for its work outside the pool. Five Lions have been named to the 2010 Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches All-Academic teams, which honors student-athletes who played in 2010 and earned a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher.

Jessica Morelos, Gina Castagnola, Kimberly Benedetti, Casey Flacks and Camille Hopp have all been named to the ACWPC All-Academic teams for 2010. The Association honors three teams, with first-team earning Outstanding honors (for GPA of 3.71 - 4.00), second-team earning Superior honors (3.41-3.70) and third-team earning Excellent honors (3.40-3.20).

In her first season at LMU, Morelos earned second-team All-Academic honors with a 3.63 GPA. The Liberal Studies major played in 32 of the Lions' 34 games as a true freshman, scoring six goals with six steals.

Castagnola, Benedetti, Flacks and Hopp all earned third-team honors.

Benedetti and Flacks both earned postseason honors after leading the Lions to their eighth Western Water Polo Association championship in 10 years. Benedetti, who was a first-team WWPA All-Tournament selection after scoring nine goals at the WWPA tournament and finishing with 57 on the season, second on the team. She is a Sociology major with a 3.33 GPA.

Joining her on the WWPA All-Tournament first-team and earning WWPA tournament MVP honors was Flacks. She played in all 34 games, scoring 36 goals with 31 assists, a team-best 35 steals and a team-best 53 kickouts drawn. She is an English major with a 3.28 GPA.

Like Morelos, Hopp was a true freshman and played in 29 games in her first season. She is an Accounting major with a 3.21 GPA. Castagnola, who was in her third season for the Lions, playing in 18 games, scoring four goals. She has a 3.34 GPA as a Sociology major.