
CSUN Trio Earn ACWPC All-America Honors
5/30/2024 2:18:00 PM | Women's Water Polo
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Water Polo's trio of Dorottya Telek, Anna Pal and Helena Sandhagen were honored with All-America Honorable Mention accolades on Thursday, as announced by the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches.
A native of Budapest, Hungary, Telek earned her third straight All-American honor after breaking CSUN's all-time career goals record this past season. She would top the Big West for a third consecutive season in goals with 94 on 52.2 percent shooting while her 94 goals were the second-most in a season in team history and seven short of the record 101 she scored in 2023. Telek finished with a career-high 124 points, finishing third in the Big West, as she also led the Matadors with 32 steals, 13 field blocks and 110 drawn exclusions to go with 30 assists. Telek would hit the back of the net in 29 of 30 matches and score multiple times in 21 contests.
Among her highlights this season, Telek broke Madeleine Sanchez's career goals record on Feb. 24 before finishing the season at 272 career tallies, which were 43 ahead of Sanchez's record. She also set a new single-game record with nine goals scored in two different contests. Telek would be named to the All-Big West First Team while she earned her school-record fourth Big West Player of the Week award as well this season.
Pal, another Budapest native, enjoyed a career season where she led CSUN and ranked second in the Big West with 127 points. She would also post a personal-best 65 goals, finishing fourth in the Big West, while she paced the league as well with a career-high 62 assists. On the year, Pal also registered 31 steals and eight field blocks as she appeared in all 33 matches.
Pal earned her first career All-Big West Honorable Mention in 2024 after leading the Matadors with 13 goals and 19 points against league opponents. Her game-winning goal in an upset win over 14th-ranked UC Santa Barbara helped earn her first career Big West Player of the Week award.
Both Telek and Pal are three-time ACWPC All-America selections, joining just four others in Matador history to accomplish the feat (Marisa Young, Allison Brookes, Jillian Stapf and Sydney Sonoda). Both are expected to return in 2025 with an opportunity to earn a fourth award.
Originally from Claremont, Sandhagen posted new career highs in her fourth season with CSUN. She was third on the team with a career-high 43 goals to go with 12 assists and 12 steals. Sandhagen also shot 44.8 percent from the field and played in all 33 matches. In addition, Sandhagen had a career-high 32 drawn exclusions and nine field blocks while serving as the team's primary sprinter.
Sandhagen's All-America award is the second of her career as she also received an Honorable Mention in 2022. Joining her teammates Telek and Pal as multiple-time All-Americans, Sandhagen is the ninth CSUN player to ever earn at least two All-America awards from the ACWPC. Sandhagen can also return for a fifth year with the Matadors in 2025.
CSUN finished the season with an 18-15 overall record and the team's most wins in 10 years. The Matadors received a No. 16 national ranking by the ACWPC at the conclusion of the season, which is the highest the program has been ranked since 2015.
#GoMatadors
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A native of Budapest, Hungary, Telek earned her third straight All-American honor after breaking CSUN's all-time career goals record this past season. She would top the Big West for a third consecutive season in goals with 94 on 52.2 percent shooting while her 94 goals were the second-most in a season in team history and seven short of the record 101 she scored in 2023. Telek finished with a career-high 124 points, finishing third in the Big West, as she also led the Matadors with 32 steals, 13 field blocks and 110 drawn exclusions to go with 30 assists. Telek would hit the back of the net in 29 of 30 matches and score multiple times in 21 contests.
Among her highlights this season, Telek broke Madeleine Sanchez's career goals record on Feb. 24 before finishing the season at 272 career tallies, which were 43 ahead of Sanchez's record. She also set a new single-game record with nine goals scored in two different contests. Telek would be named to the All-Big West First Team while she earned her school-record fourth Big West Player of the Week award as well this season.
Pal, another Budapest native, enjoyed a career season where she led CSUN and ranked second in the Big West with 127 points. She would also post a personal-best 65 goals, finishing fourth in the Big West, while she paced the league as well with a career-high 62 assists. On the year, Pal also registered 31 steals and eight field blocks as she appeared in all 33 matches.
Pal earned her first career All-Big West Honorable Mention in 2024 after leading the Matadors with 13 goals and 19 points against league opponents. Her game-winning goal in an upset win over 14th-ranked UC Santa Barbara helped earn her first career Big West Player of the Week award.
Both Telek and Pal are three-time ACWPC All-America selections, joining just four others in Matador history to accomplish the feat (Marisa Young, Allison Brookes, Jillian Stapf and Sydney Sonoda). Both are expected to return in 2025 with an opportunity to earn a fourth award.
Originally from Claremont, Sandhagen posted new career highs in her fourth season with CSUN. She was third on the team with a career-high 43 goals to go with 12 assists and 12 steals. Sandhagen also shot 44.8 percent from the field and played in all 33 matches. In addition, Sandhagen had a career-high 32 drawn exclusions and nine field blocks while serving as the team's primary sprinter.
Sandhagen's All-America award is the second of her career as she also received an Honorable Mention in 2022. Joining her teammates Telek and Pal as multiple-time All-Americans, Sandhagen is the ninth CSUN player to ever earn at least two All-America awards from the ACWPC. Sandhagen can also return for a fifth year with the Matadors in 2025.
CSUN finished the season with an 18-15 overall record and the team's most wins in 10 years. The Matadors received a No. 16 national ranking by the ACWPC at the conclusion of the season, which is the highest the program has been ranked since 2015.
#GoMatadors
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