FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State water polo team returns home for one final time in 2025, celebrating Senior Day against Azusa Pacific at the Aquatics Center on Saturday.
No. 8 Fresno State (10-7, 4-1 GCC) vs Azusa Pacific (14-12, 2-3 GCC)
April 12, 2025 - 1 P.M. PT - Fresno, Calif. - Aquatics Center
Series History: Fresno State leads 8-2
Last Meeting: FS def APU 15-9 on April 12, 2024
MEDIA COVERAGE
Stream: OverNght
Live Stats: TheFosh
X (Twitter): @FresnoStateWP
Bulldog Bones
Fresno State will honor its five seniors ahead of Saturday's game - Abigayle Armstrong, Brooke Ochoa, Abbey Simshauser, Ella Simone and Elisa Grim.
Armstrong, Ochoa, Simone and Grim all came into the program together in 2022 while Simshauser transferred in ahead of the 2024 season from Wagner College.
Fresno State is coming off of its bye week, after a win at No. 20 San Diego State last time out.
The Bulldogs are currently tied for second in the Golden Coast Conference standings with two games remaining in the regular season.
Fresno State has had four GCC Player of the Week recognitions this season with Ochoa and Simshauser earning two apiece.
Fresno State has faced 14 ranked opponents this season, and is 7-7 in those games.
Ochoa became Fresno State's all-time leading scorer on March 22, and has scored 199 career goals.
Andress was named to the Cutino Award watch list again this season, recognizing the collegiate water polo player of the year.
The Bulldogs are coached by Natalie Benson, who has a 110-78 all-time record as the Bulldogs' head coach.
Got goal #200 on deck
Senior Brooke Ochoa became the program's all-time leading scorer in the Bulldogs' last home game against LMU. She currently sits with 199 goals in her career. If she scores her 200th, she would sit alone as the only player in program history with 200 goals. In addition to that, she would be the eighth player among all active NCAA Div. I women's water polo players to have 200 career goals.
Of the 36 NCAA Div. I women's water polo programs, there are just 117 players all-time to have scored 200 career goals. USC leads the way with 12 players all-time.
Sharing the mountain top, again
Ochoa leads the team with 78 points. However, junior Hailey Andress also had a team-high 78 points. The duo has exactly the same stat line with 56 goals and 22 assists.
In 17 games this season, Andress has led the team in scoring in nine games and Ochoa in seven.
Andress has scored at least one goal in each game this season, and has extended her scoring streak to 22 consecutive games. In 70 career games, the junior has been held without a goal just five times in her career. She set the single game program record with seven goals at Santa Clara on March 8, 2025. This season, she has 12 hat tricks in 17 games.
Back on watch
Hailey Andress earned a spot on the 2025 Cutino Award watch list, announced by the organization last week. USA Water Polo and The Olympic Club are thrilled to collaborate with the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) on the Cutino Award Watch List. The Peter J. Cutino Award, named in honor of the late Hall of Fame coach, recognizes the best player in men's and women's college water polo annually since 2022.
Andress finds herself on the watch list for the second straight year. This season, she is one of 20 collegiate women's water polo players on the watch list. She is one of only two from the Golden Coast Conference, joined by LMU's Ruth Arino Ruiz. The selections for the watch list were submitted by collegiate head coaches around the country.
A look at Andress
The junior Bulldog hasn't had a down season yet. This year, she is tied for the team lead with 56 goals. She also adds 22 assists, 17 steals, four field blocks and four drawn exclusions.
Andress has solidified herself as one of the program's most accomplished and decorated student-athletes. With 181 career goals, she is third all-time in Fresno State's history. Andress was a first team All-GCC selection in 2024, and a second team ACWPC All-American. Her freshman year, she was named the GCC Newcomer of the Year, while earning second team all-conference honors and honorable mention all-america accolades.
Win the sprint
As a team, Fresno State is 49-14 in its sprints this season. The Bulldogs have a 77.8 percent sprint win percentage.
Two 'Dogs have carried the majority of the sprints for the team this spring with freshman Marit van der Kolk having a 27-4 record and senior Brooke Ochoa having a 15-6 record. Both Bulldogs have been undefeated in their sprints in the last three games.
GCC Flashback
Fresno State returns as the reigning Golden Coast Champions, for the fourth year in a row. The Bulldogs have been the tournament champion for four-straight years, and the regular season champion in three of the last four years.
In regular season play, Fresno State has only lost three regular season GCC games in the last four years.
Fresno State has an all-time record of 38-10 in Golden Coast Conference play, and is 30-3 in the last four seasons.