SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – LMU won its fifth straight WCC Championship last Friday in Santa Monica, Calif., and the Lions nearly swept the 2024 WCC all-conference and major awards, as announced by the Conference on Wednesday.
All-WCC First, Second and Freshman Team selections and major individual awards were selected solely by the seven conference head coaches. Due to a tie among voting for the second team, there are nine student-athletes on this year's all-conference second team.
The Lions and Pepperdine tied for a league-best six student-athletes on 18 available spots between the first and second teams. Both the Lions and Waves garnered four first-team selections and two second-team selections. Santa Clara also placed three honorees on the all-freshman team.
LMU’s Michelle Shaffer had her named called twice for the Conference awards as both a member of the Pair of the Year with Valma Prihti and the Defensive Player of the Year. Shaffer and Prihti won Credit Union 1 WCC Pair of the Week on March 4. The duo won their first two matches at last week's WCC Beach Volleyball Tournament before their match in the championship match went unfinished. Shaffer became the fourth Lion to win Defensive Player of the Year accolades after Melanie Paul won the award last year and Reka Orsi Toth won it the year before. For Prihti, she became the first player in the history of the league to be a part of back-to-back Pairs of the Year. This is also the fourth year in a row that LMU has won Pair of the Year.
John Mayer collected his fifth straight WCC Coach of the Year honor after leading the Lions back into the NCAA Championship as a No. 8 seed. LMU concluded the regular season with a record of 27-13, Mayer's Lions enter the NCAA Tournament riding a five-match winning streak. LMU boasts a win over No. 4 Florida State on its resume this season, as well.
Kaydon Meyers compiled an overall record of 17-21 this season. She competed primarily on the No. 4 court where she notched a 15-17 record. Her partner for all but one of her matches on that court was Gracie Pedersen. She also went 2-4 with All-WCC Second Team honoree Gabriella Perez. Meyers became the third Wave to win Freshman of the Year. McKenna Thomas earned a share of the award in 2022 and Brook Bauer won it in 2018.
Prihti, Pepperdine's Kate Clermont and McKenna Thomas, and Hawley Harrer from Saint Mary's earned first-team accolades for the second straight season. Pepperdine's Kristine Briede, and LMU's Chloe Hooker and Jacinda Ramirez garnered all-conference recognition for the second straight season, as well. Shaffer garnered first-team recognition for the second time after also being an honoree in 2022 with Santa Clara.
2024 WCC Coach of the Year
John Mayer, LMU
2024 WCC Pair of the Year
Michelle Shaffer and Valma Prihti, LMU
2024 WCC Defensive Player of the Year
Michelle Shaffer, LMU
2024 WCC Freshman of the Year
Kaydon Meyers, Pepperdine
2024 All-WCC Beach Volleyball First Team
Kristine Briede, Pepperdine
Cassie Chinn, LMU
Kate Clermont, Pepperdine
Hawley Harrer, Saint Mary's
Madison Oriskovich, Pepperdine
Anna Pelloia, LMU
Valma Prihti, LMU
Elena Radeff, Santa Clara
Michelle Shaffer, LMU
McKenna Thomas, Pepperdine
2024 All-WCC Beach Volleyball Second Team
Letizia Aquilino, San Francisco
Angie Bour, Saint Mary's
Hannah Couch, Saint Mary’s
Chloe Hooker, LMU
Katie Kishton, Santa Clara
Gabriella Perez, Pepperdine
Jacinda Ramirez, LMU
Sarlota Svobodova, Pepperdine
Moorea Wood, San Francisco
2024 All-WCC Beach Volleyball All-Freshman Team
Nya Crump, Saint Mary’s
Maya McNabney, Pepperdine
Kaydon Meyers, Pepperdine
Jette Morris, San Francisco
Sveva Munneke, Santa Clara
Noelle Niederman, Santa Clara
AJ Slojkowski, Saint Mary’s
Alexandra Urbina, Santa Clara