2023 All-WWPA Teams announced, Passoni earns Player of Year
VISTA, Calif. - The 2023 Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) All-Conference Teams have been announced following a vote of conference head coaches ahead of the WWPA Championiship, Apr. 28-30, in O'Fallon, Ill.
Cal State East Bay's Daniela Passoni earned WWPA Player of the Year after a standout season for the Pioneers. The graduate student goalkeeper led the conference in saves (336), save percentage (.540), goals-against average (9.96) and saves per game (12.0). She posted 15-or-more saves on seven different occasions, registering a season-high 17 three times.
A member of the 2021 South Africa Olympic Team, the three-time All-WWPA first teamer and 2022 ACWPC All-American is the third CSUEB player to win WWPA Player of the Year (Auriel Bill, 2018 and 2019; Adrien Van Dyke, 2022).
Passoni and McKendree's Abigail Burton are the lone holdovers from the 2022 All-WWPA First Team. Burton, a fifth year from Chino, Calif., was a two-time WWPA Player of the Week in 2023 and was recently named to the Women's Cutino Award Watch List.
Elise Whitworth of Cal State East Bay took home Newcomer of the Year. The freshman driver from Yorba Linda had 24 goals and 11 assists in her first 20 games at CSUEB.
The 2023 WWPA Championship at the McKendree Metro Rec Plex gets underway Friday, April 28 at 9am local time when East Region No. 1 McKendree takes on West Region No. 4 Cal State Monterey Bay. Four games will be played each day, Friday-Sunday, with the title game slated for 1:15pm local time Sunday afternoon. Schedules, scores and live coverage links for all matches can be found on WWPA Championship Central.