SAN FRANCISCO – Following a career year in which she led the nation's top defense and took the California women's water polo team to its second NCAA final ever, Isabel Williams was named the winner of the 2024 Peter J. Cutino Award Saturday night at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.

Williams – the Golden Bears' second-ever Cutino Award finalist – is the first player in program history to win the award.

"It's an honor to be considered among such a great legacy of those who've won this award in the past," Williams said after accepting the award. "Thank you to the Cutino family, the Olympic Club, and USA Water Polo. I'm so grateful to be here and so honored to receive this award."

The fifth-year goalkeeper started in every game during the 2024 season, setting the Golden Bears' single-season saves record (326) after reaching double-digit saves in 23 of 26 games and leading Cal to a 19-7 overall record. She paced the MPSF with career highs of 12.5 saves per game and a .653 save percentage, earned three MPSF Player of the Week Awards, and her third consecutive All-MPSF First Team and ACWPC All-America selections.

"From the very beginning, I told Isabel how much she could mean to this program," said Cal head coach and 2002 Cutino Award winner Coralie Simmons. "She's delivered and has been instrumental with how we've approached all the years she's been with us. She's been through thick and thin, through all the crazy COVID years, and obviously this year really made a big mark on how we get to continue her legacy and our legacy moving forward."

With her coaches and mother in attendance, Williams expressed her gratitude to all who aided her throughout her journey, from her earliest water polo playing days in her hometown of Severna Park, Maryland, to the moment she earned collegiate water polo's top honor. She also gave heartfelt thank yous to her brother – who she called her greatest inspiration – and her parents.

"My mom earns the spot as the No. 1 supporter. She's been with me through every step of the journey and I'm so grateful that I've had her for everything in and out of the pool," Williams said. "Just being considered amongst the other nominees is a privilege. They are great players."

On Apr. 26, in the second quarter of the Bears' MPSF Quarterfinal matchup with San Jose State, Williams began the Bears' postseason by moving to No. 1 all-time for career saves at Cal with her sixth penalty stop in five games. Two weeks later, she helped hold three straight opponents to season-low scoring outputs at the Cal-hosted NCAA Championship, averaging 14 saves per game and earning her first career NCAA All-Tournament Team honor.

With Williams anchoring the Bears' deepest playoff run since 2011, Cal allowed a nation-best 6.8 goals per game, consistently holding the nation's top teams well below their season averages. She ended the season with 885 career saves – 69 more than any other Bear goalkeeper.

"From top to bottom, seniors to the newbies, Isabel really corralled everyone from the fall to when we got to Greece in January. She really took hold of the group in terms of appreciating the moments we have together, getting better from week to week and having fun with it," Simmons said. "Without her leadership and voice in all that, as well as others, knowing that Isabel was going to champion them and that they were going to champion her, we wouldn't have had the outcomes we had this season. She played a key role in how we got to develop throughout the year."

Williams won the award along with Cal men's water polo's Nikolaos Papanikolaou, who was unable to attend the ceremony. They are the sixth different pair of student-athletes to sweep the Cutino Awards for a single school.

"I really think it's important that we continue to grow the sport of water polo," Williams said as she concluded her acceptance speech. "There needs to be so much more representation, so that everyone can watch and envision themselves standing here. I'm just very excited to have this honor and be able to move forward and grow the sport of water polo."