11:35am |  Long Beach State’s women’s water polo team had two first-team All-Conference selections for the first time as the 2011 All-Big West team was announced on Wednesday. Senior Kristen Stragier and junior Krizia Cerda both earned first-team honors.

No. 13 Long Beach State had five players honored in all, which bested the 2003 team (four) for the most in school history. Senior Lauren Sieprath earned her third All-Big West selection, making the second-team, while sophomore Melissa Matheson and freshman Julia Garyfallou each earned an honorable mention merit.

Stragier was the only goaltender in the league to earn first-team honors. The senior set a new school record with 993 career saves, adding 260 over the course of her final season with the 49ers. It was the second All-Big West selection for Stragier, who was a second-team honoree in 2009. 

As for Cerda, it was the junior defender’s third All-Big West nod in three seasons, and her first first-team selection. She was an honorable mention selection as a freshman and earned second-team honors as a sophomore.

Sieprath has now been honored as an All-Conference selection four times. After earning All-Freshman MPSF honors in her first season, she was a first-team pick as a sophomore and has earned second-team honors both of the last two seasons.    

For Matheson and Garyfallou, it was the first selection for both players. Garyfallou was second on the team with 34 goals for the season, while Matheson was fourth with 30 goals. Both scored a pair of goals in the Big West semifinals to help the 49ers reach their first Big West Championship game.