UCLA senior Courtney Mathewson was named the Peter J. Cutino Award water polo player of the year. Here is the release from UCLA:

UCLA’s Courtney Mathewson Wins Peter J. Cutino Award
Mathewson earns prestigious honor after leading Bruins to undefeated season

SAN FRANCISCO – UCLA senior Courtney Mathewson earned the 2008 Peter J. Cutino Award on Saturday evening at the Olympic Club in San Francisco. The Cutino Award is presented annually to the outstanding female and male collegiate water polo players in the United States.

Mathewson scored 54 goals in 33 matches, leading the UCLA women’s water polo team to its fourth consecutive NCAA Championship. The Anaheim Hills, Calif., resident scored four goals in the final two NCAA Tournament matches – including three in an 11-4 semifinal win over UC Davis – to earn all-tournament team accolades.

Mathewson was joined on the ballot by teammate Jillian Kraus and Stanford’s Lauren Silver. Mathewson and Kraus captured MPSF Co-Player of the Year honors after having led UCLA to the MPSF Tournament title for the second consecutive year. In the MPSF Tournament, Mathewson was named the tournament MVP after having combined for seven goals in the final two matches.

The UCLA women’s water polo program now boasts four Peter J. Cutino Award winners. Coralie Simmons won the award in its first year of existence in 2001. Natalie Golda became the Bruins’ second Cutino Award winner in 2005. Kelly Rulon earned the award in 2007 after having set UCLA’s career goals record.

UC Irvine’s Tim Hutten was named the male recipient of the Cutino Award.

The award is named in honor of the late Peter J. Cutino, a former University of California and The Olympic Club coach, who passed away in September of 2004. Cutino, who is enshrined in the U.S. Water Polo Hall of Fame, earned National Water Polo Coach of the Year honors 17 times and led California to eight NCAA titles.