All season long, the Hawaii water polo team’s success came as a collective group. Friday’s Big West postseason awards were treated in much the same way.
The BWC champion Rainbow Wahine were showered with a Big West Coach of the Year award for Maureen Cole, a repeat Big West Player of the Year distinction for sophomore center Bia Mantellato Dias and first-team honors for four players.
Besides Mantellato Dias, attackers Alba Bonamusa Boix and Bernadette Doyle and goalkeeper Daisy Logtens were named to the eight-player All-BWC top team as voted by the league’s eight coaches.
Cole received coach of the year for the fifth and last time as she will retire following the upcoming NCAA Tournament, in which UH (22-3) received the No. 2 seed, a program record.
“I appreciate the recognition from my peers. I have a lot of respect for the coaches in the Big West,” Cole said. “But … I’m not thinking about any accolades right now.”
She added that her players deserved the recognition, but “I think every one of those players would trade any award to get some wins next week.”
Mantellato Dias led the team in goals with 61. The Brazilian was a force that commanded double and triple teams and often freed up teammates for open shots.
“I’m proud of her. She grinds, she works hard … she’s a competitor,” Cole said. “I’ve never seen someone want the ball as much as her. She wants it in her hands. She loves the big moments and she wants to just be great for her teammates.”
It was the sixth time a UH player got the Big West’s top singular award. Mantellato Dias became only the second to do so in back-to-back years, joining Irene Gonzalez in 2018 and 2019.
“I’m really happy. It’s an honor,” Mantellato Dias said. “I think individual awards are not as important as how our team is doing. I’m really thankful for my teammates and my coaches because without them none of that would be possible.”
Utility player Lot Stertefeld was named to the second team and attacker Lucia Gomez de la Puente was tabbed an honorable mention.
Freshman Agatha Weston was named to the BWC All-Freshman team with Logtens.
This was the first season UH swept through the Big West regular season and conference tournament.
“That just shows how much of a team, a group we are,” Mantellato Dias said of the haul of awards. “How we’re not based on individual talent, individual players. We’re a close group and we have a lot of talents. We’re really a team.”
UH faces Princeton in the quarterfinals at Cal’s campus in Berkeley, Calif., at 1 p.m. on May 10.
Brian McInnis covers the state's sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.