Six Anteaters Honored By The Big West - UCI Athletics
IRVINE, Calif. – Six UC Irvine women's water polo players earned All-Big West honors as announced by the conference office Friday afternoon.Lauren Hett headlined the awards for the Anteaters as an All-Big West First Team selection.
Hett ended the season as UC Irvine's leader in goals (67) and points (97) while converting at a 48.9 rate at the cage. The two-time Big West Player of the Week in 2025 posted a career high five goals twice this season, the last at UC San Diego (Mar. 8), and notched hat-tricks on 13 occasions. Hett's 67 goals were fifth most in the Big West this season and tied Gianna Rossi's (2009) fourth-best single season scoring mark in program history. The sophomore earned her second postseason accolade after being named as the Big West Freshman of the Year while tacking on Second and Freshman team recognitions a year ago.
The graduating attacking duo of Brooke Hourigan and Kennedy East landed on the All-Big West Second Team.
Hourigan led UCI and finished sixth in the conference ranks with 39 assists while finishing second in the team ledger in both points (80) and steals (33). Five of her 12 assists in league game came against UC Santa Barbara (Mar. 28) when she finished with seven points. The Newport Beach native totaled a season-high four goals three times, the last on April 17 against Long Beach State in the regular season finale. East ended her career with 41 goals, third most on the team, to go with 58 points in 2025. The attacker led the Anteaters with 26 sprint wins and 11 field blocks, sitting sixth and eighth in the Big West standings, respectively. East posted three goals just once during the season but scored at least once in 25 of UCI's 28 games played. This was the first career conference postseason honor for both Hourigan and East.
Centers Nioka Thomas and Madi O'Hara worked hard all season and were rewarded with honorable mention recognition.
Thomas finished second on the team with 48 goals and 43 drawn exclusions after her return to the pool with the Anteaters. The senior tallied hat-tricks eight times led by a career-best five at Cal State Fullerton on Mar. 5. O'Hara topped UCI with 60 drawn exclusions and posted personal highs in both goals (28) and steals (16) in a season. The redshirt junior notched hat-tricks in back-to-back contests, pouring in four goals against CSUN (Mar. 14) and then three against Brown (Mar. 25). It is Thomas' second postseason honor from the Big West while O'Hara earned her first.
In her rookie year, Pippa Heaver was selected to the All-Big West Freshman Team. Heaver finished second on the team with 31 assists and tallied 43 points, 18 drawn exclusions, 15 steals, and 12 goals in her first year as an Anteater.
UC Irvine has now had four or more honorees on the All-Big West team in all 16 seasons they've been recognized.
