SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Highlighted by Tori Waldeck's West Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Year award and Julia Quinonez's WCC Freshman of the Year selection, seven Pepperdine women's soccer players earned WCC all-conference awards on Wednesday.

Waldeck and Taylor Bloom earned All-WCC First Team honors, Quinonez and Tatum Wynalda made the second team, plus Karina Gonzalez was an Honorable Mention All-WCC selection. This marks the fourth consecutive year Pepperdine has put five players on the three all-conference teams. As for the freshmen, Quinonez, Peyton Leonard and Ava Verplancke give Pepperdine its most WCC All-Freshman team selections since three Waves made the conference's list in 2020.

As the conference's leader in shots on goal (1.89 per game) and second-highest goal scorer (11), Waldeck is Pepperdine's first WCC Offensive Player of the Year award winner in program history. An efficient, quick forward who has spearheaded the Waves' offense, Waldeck (Newhall, Calif./Hart HS) has three multi-goal games this season, three game-winners and leads the team with 60 shots and 34 shots on goal. The senior also garnered First-Team All-WCC honors for the third time in her career.

Making an immediate impact as a true freshman, Quinonez (Torrance, Calif./Torrance HS) started in 15 of the 17 games in which she has played and is tied for second on the team with six goals this year. Quinonez is the sixth Wave to earn the WCC's Freshman of the Year honors. She joins an elite company in Pepperdine history to win WCC Freshman of the Year, as US Women's National Team selection Lynn Williams, 2019 NWSL first-round selection Hailey Harbison, and Lacey Ubaldi (Pepperdine's fifth-leading career goal scorer), amongst others have won the award. 

Earning First-Team All-WCC honors for the first time in her career, Bloom (Huntington Beach, Calif./Orange Lutheran HS) helped bolster Pepperdine's back line and was in the starting lineup for five shutouts this season. The sophomore defender started in 12 of the 14 games in which she played, plus she scored goals against Illinois and San Diego. This is Bloom's second all-conference award; she was an honorable mention selection and she made the WCC All-Freshman Team last year.

Making the All-WCC Second Team for the second time in her career, Wynalda (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Westlake HS) provided an offensive spark off the bench for Pepperdine before working her way into the starting lineup during conference play. Her six goals are tied for second on the team, plus she tied for second on the team with 28 shots — 14 of which were on goal.

Gonzalez (Sanger, Calif./Hallmark Charter School) rounds out Pepperdine's award winners as an All-WCC Honorable Mention selection this season. A mainstay in the Pepperdine lineup, the sophomore started in all 18 games this season, scored three goals and added five assists, the latter of which is tied for third-most on the team and seventh in the WCC. This is the first All-WCC award in Gonzalez's career.

Putting three players on the WCC's All-Freshman team for the third time in program history, Pepperdine tied Santa Clara for the most all-freshman selections by any school in the conference. Alongside Freshman of the Year Quinonez, Leonard (Ladera Ranch, Calif./San Juan Hills HS) and Verplancke (Irvine, Calif./Portola HS) earned spots on the WCC All-Freshman team.

Boosting Pepperdine's back line with her combination of strength and athleticism, Leonard started in 11 of the 17 games in which she played, including all but one WCC game. The freshman defender scored the game-winning goal against Fresno State in the non-conference slate, plus she started in six shutouts for the Waves. On offense, Verplancke gave Pepperdine depth off the bench by appearing in 16 games and dishing out six assists — three of which came in Pepperdine's 7-0 win over San Diego. Verplancke's six assists rank second on the team and are tied for the fourth-most in the WCC.

The Waves' (9-4-5, 6-2 WCC) make their 13th NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament appearance this Friday against #2 Stanford at 6 p.m.


2023 WCC WOMEN'S SOCCER ALL-CONFERENCE AWARDS

Coach of the Year: Chris Watkins (Gonzaga)
Offensive Player of the Year: Tori Waldeck (Pepperdine)
Midfielder of the Year: Marissa Vasquez (San Francisco)
Defender of the Year: Annie Karich (Santa Clara)
Goalkeeper of the Year: Bre Norris (Portland)
Freshman of the Year: Julia Quinonez (Pepperdine)

First Team: Camille Ashe (Portland), Taylor Bloom (Pepperdine), Makena Carr (Saint Mary's), Annie Karich (Santa Clara), Sally Menti (Santa Clara) Bre Norris (Portland), Kelsey Oyler (Gonzaga), Giana Riley (Gonzaga), Marissa Vasquez (San Francisco), Tori Waldeck (Pepperdine), Farrah Walters (Santa Clara)

Second Team: Colby Barnett (Santa Clara), Maddie Kemp (Gonzaga), Chelsea Le (Gonzaga), Sophia Mattice (Portland), Jaida Nyby (Pacific), Julia Quinonez (Pepperdine), Briana Salvetti (Saint Mary's), Nedya Sawan (Portland), Cally Togiai (Portland), Lauren Towne (Gonzaga), Tatum Wynalda (Pepperdine)

Honorable Mention: Alyssa Bourgeois (Santa Clara), Grace Courter (Gonzaga), Marissa Garcia (Gonzaga), Karina Gonzalez (Pepperdine), Jackie Koerwitz (San Francisco), Lucy Mitchell (Santa Clara), Katana Norman (Portland), Alexis Pashales (Pacific), Savannah Schwarze (Saint Mary's), Anaya Shelton (Pacific), Olivia Stone (San Diego), Genevieve Watkins (LMU)

WCC All-Freshman Team: Jordyn Crosby (Santa Clara), Peyton Leonard (Pepperdine), Olivia Lukrofka (San Francisco), Sydney Middaugh (Saint Mary's), Mailin Orozco (Santa Clara), Julia Quinonez (Pepperdine), Violet Rademacher (Portland), Shelby Runje (Gonzaga), Ava Verplancke (Pepperdine), Emelia Warta (Gonzaga), Malia Yamamoto (Santa Clara)