University of the Pacific standout and former Olympian Mariana Duarte has been named a Division I honorable mention All-American by the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches.

"Mariana has been a cornerstone for the program for years. She exudes what it means to be a Pacific Tiger," said Head Coach James Graham. "With All-America voting, you never really know how it will go. However, it is apparent that coaches across the country took note of the year, and the career, that she had here at Pacific."

Duarte earned first-team all-league honors—Pacific plays in the California-based Golden Coast Conference in water polo—and was named to the all-tournament team. Tallying a career-high 63 goals this season, Duarte became the fourth all-time scorer at Pacific with 214.

"I am very grateful for the honor, but I could not have done it without a supportive staff and teammates," said Duarte. "Pacific not only made me a better player, but also a better person."

Duarte, a native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, competed in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. She played in six Olympic games and scored goals against the United States and Australia.

Before turning 20 years old, Duarte played in six international competitions with the Brazil senior national team including the Olympics and the world championships.

“I am very proud of Mariana and her All-America honor. She was a great teammate,” said Pacific student-athlete Toula Falvey. “Mariana constantly pushed us to play at our best 100% of the time. She was an excellent leader.”

Duarte successfully juggled her schedule with international play, college competition and her studies at Pacific. Duarte graduated in May with a Master of Science in finance and is looking to start her career.

Lewis Gale, interim dean of the Eberhardt School of Business, taught Duarte in an international trade class as an undergraduate. 

“She was in class with me during her water polo season, and I was very impressed with how she was able to balance academics and athletics,” Gale said. “She was always prepared and had a good grasp of the principles of international trade.”

Duarte also spent a week in New York as part of the Student Investment Fund experience—a two-term class where undergraduate business students are selected through a formal application process and have the ability to manage an investment portfolio currently approaching $4 million dollars. The trip to New York is part of the experience. 

 “Mariana is thoughtful and analytical in the way she approaches things, and I saw that during our week in New York,” Gale said. “She is a tremendous student-athlete, and she shined both in the classroom and in the pool."