Three Wolverines Receive ACWPC All-America Recognition
4/27/2020 3:05:00 PM | Water Polo
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) named its 2020 Women's Division I All-America team on Monday (April 27) with three University of Michigan student-athletes -- junior Sofie Pontré, senior Heidi Ritner and sophomore Erin Neustrom -- receiving national recognition.
Michigan has had at least one player on the first, second or third team in each of the last five seasons under head coach Dr. Marcelo Leonardi with six total selections. The team boasted seven in the 14 years before his arrival.
Pontré, a team captain from Perth, Australia, was named to the ACWPC All-America second team. She started all 19 games for the Wolverines and was one of the team's top defensive players. She was second among field players with 21 steals and third on the team with seven field blocks, routinely guarding the opposing team's center in the last line of defense in front of the goal. She also added 15 goals, six assists and 23 drawn exclusions prior to the remainder of the season being canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ritner, a senior captain from Newport Beach, California, received her first All-America recognition with an honorable mention selection. She started in 17 of the team's 19 games with an 8-8 record. She tallied 139 saves with a .525 save percentage and 8.15 goals-against average while facing one of the nation's toughest schedules. U-M played 10 of its 19 games against top-10 teams in 2020.
Neustrom also picked up an honorable mention nod in her second season with the Wolverines. She led the team with a .533 shooting percentage and was second on the team with 32 goals. She also set a sophomore record with 56 drawn exclusions and cracked Michigan's top-10 list for career drawn exclusions.
The trio of Wolverines receiving All-America recognition gives the program three for the second straight year.
