2018 Men’s Water Polo Preview: The Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference East

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Last November the George Washington Colonials celebrated a 1st-ever MAWPC title; can they do it again in 2018? Photo Courtesy: George Washington Athletics

Swimming World continues its previews of the six conferences that will send teams to the 2018 NCAA Men’s Water Polo Tournament, to be held November 29 – December 2 at Stanford’s Avery Aquatic Center. Look to SW for in-depth stories and game recaps of all the action from this year’s exciting NCAA men’s varsity action.

The battle for the top spot in the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference East begins on the very first day of the new men’s season—Saturday, September 1—when George Washington and Wagner face each other at the Navy Fall Invitational.

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Perhaps it’s only fitting that these two teams, which met last November in the MAWPC title match—a Colonial 8-5 victory that propelled them, and not the Seahawks to their first ever national championship tournament—open what will be a hotly contested conference season.

Wagner, George Washington and Bucknell—undefeated in conference play last season until a stunning tournament semifinal upset by the Seahawks—are all capable of taking the title. But, a mere three years after Chris Radmonovich launched his men’s program, it’s the Seahawks that will fly high in the MAWPC in 2018.

One significant structural change is the arrival of LaSalle—with new men’s and women’s Head Coach Tom Hayden—from the MAWPC West bracket.

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This rapid ascent of Wagner is surprising but—given their coach’s record of success—entirely predictable. When Radmonovich arrived on Staten Island in 2012 to coach the Seahawk women, it took him two years to get to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) title match, and four years to win a conference crown—which his team has held the past five years.

Its therefore dicey to bet against his men’s team this season, even if it’s a year ahead of the women’s timeline. Senior goalie Cameron Woldt returns to the Seahawk cage after a noteworthy junior campaign (250 saves). He’ll be backed up by sophomore Benjamin Angulo.

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Who can stop Jasmin Kolasinac? Photo Courtesy: Stew Milne / SI Live

Another key to this season is Jasmin Kolasinac, last year’s freshman sensation who led the Seahawks with 89 goals and 83 steals and was second in assists with 44. Senior Teo Dadic (47 goals, 54 assists, 41 steals) junior Oscar Nomura (34 goals, 29 assists) and sophomore Jack Leighton (42 goals, 31 assists) all return from a potent Seahawk offense that should only improve with the addition of freshmen Vuk Bulajic—like Kolasinac, a graduate of King’s College in Auckland, New Zealand—and 2M men James MacPherson and Asher Showers.

Missing from the squad is Ciaran Wolohan (49 goals, 44 assists), the original spark-plug for the Seahawk men; wisely, Radmonovich brought him back as an assistant coach after graduation last spring.

Key Match-Up: Saturday, September 22, vs. George Washington

GW

It’s not that George Washington can’t capture back-to-back NCAA berth after never qualifying in the program’s previous 32 campaigns; it’s highly likely that the Colonials will again be in the MAWPC conference final. Head Coach Barry King’s squad certainly has the talent and experience to win the title again. His top three scoring threats from 2017 return: juniors Atakan Destici (58 goals, team-high 77 assists) and Andrew Mavis (team-high 81 goals) as well as sophomore Andras Levai (67 goals).

The Colonials have two strong options in goal. Sophomore Vaios Vlahotasios (125 saves) got the start against Harvard in last year’s NCAA play-in match. But Austin Pyrch (177 saves)—now a senior—was subbed in after the Crimson broke out to an early three-goal lead and helped his team stay close in what was an epic overtime match.

The major loss to graduation was Pierce Deamer (40 goals); the Colonials are sure to have ample replacements on a roster that contains six seniors. There’s little doubt King’s crew has enough to win again in 2018—so their matches against the Seahawks will be telling.

Key Match-Up: Saturday, September 1 vs. Wagner at the Navy Fall Invitational

Bucknell

After romping undefeated through MAWPC regular season play and the first round of their conference tournament, Bucknell ran into a buzz saw of a Seahawk team that delivered the biggest upset of the 2017 men’s season’s. Bison Head Coach John McBride has had nine long months to process that stunning defeat, and there’s many reason to believe his squad will come into 2018 ready to compete.

The problem is that some important contributors from 2017 are no longer in Lewisburg. Utility player Jeff Hagan (38 goals) graduated as did Bucknell’s biggest loss. Goalie Charlie Niehaus (282 saves)— a 2017 All-MAWPC First Team selection—also walked the graduation aisle last spring.

But junior Rade Joksimovic is still a Bison—and that may be enough to propel them to a MAWPC title in 2018. The superb Serbian was named 2017 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference East Region’s Most Valuable Player for the second straight year on the strength of a conference-leading 106 goals and 86 steals as well as 35 assists. Senior Marko Djordjevic (50 goals, 45 assists) and junior Cooper Dolan (36 goals) return, while Bence Fazekas, a freshman from Hungary, will back up Dolan at center defense.

One other addition is to McBride’s staff; Adam Foley, who built the Colonials’ title winner when he was in Washington D.C. from 2015-16, is now a Bison assistant.

Key Match-Up: Saturday, October 6, vs. Wagner

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For many reasons, good results should come from the United States Naval Academy this year. New Head Coach Luis Nicolao is no newcomer to coaching; he produced exceptional results over two decades at Princeton, including his first year in New Jersey (1998), when he took a Tiger squad that went 13-11 (5-6 in CWPA play) and improved it to 16-9 and—most importantly—5-2 in conference play.

Second, this is a military academy, where the commanding officer, in this case Nicolao, who achieved the rank of lieutenant during his military service, commands respect. There’s little doubt that Nicolao’s 25 Midshipmen will comprise the hardest working unit on the East Coast.

Eight upperclassmen return from last season but only one senior—Francis Kim (167 saves)—the Navy goalie. Nicolao’s roster includes seven freshmen, none of whom appear to be major recruits, which is no surprise given how difficult a commission at the Naval Academy is.

Sophomore Bobby Lee (31 goals) and junior Nate Rieff (26 goals, 20 steals) return from last year’s squad that was a shockingly bad 1-9 in MAWPC play—part of a deflating 10-16 record. Because of the loss of Matt Skowronski (21 goals; graduated) and Taylor Bernhardt (team-high 20 assists and 34 steals, left the team), turning the Navy ship around will take time.

The biggest addition this year is Coach Nicolao and his top assistant Tom Popp; that alone should see a resurgence at a Navy program that within a year should be fighting for its usual spot as best in the East.

Key Match-Up: Sunday, September 2, vs. Princeton

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Johns Hopkins has the misfortune of competing in what has become an extremely competitive conference. A DIII program that does not offer athletic scholarships, Head Coach Ted Bresnahan recruiting prowess allows his squad to remain competitive, though the last two years have seen the Blue Jays go 5-15 against conference foes.

The biggest challenge for 2018 is replacing John Wilson. The now-graduated Hopkins goalie started 30 of 31 matches and registered a conference-high 373 saves to become the program’s all-time save leader. Senior Spencer Witte—who appeared in seven games last season—gets first crack at replacing Wilson. Utility man Giorgio Cico (49 goals, 53 assists, 35 steals)—voted 1st Team ACWPC DIII All-American—returns for his senior year, as do Ryan Masi (25 goals, team-high 62 steals), Josh Kurtz (58 goals, 33 assists) and Finn Banks (63 goals, 23 assists), a junior this season.

Emerson Sullivan, a highly-touted recruit from California’s Bay Area, and Jack Pearson from Ransom Everglades High School in Miami, will provide immediate help, but moving up in the MAWPC—especially with an improved Navy—presents many challenges.

Key Match-Up: Saturday, September 29, vs. Navy

fordham

Massimalino Mirarchi (91 goals, 37 assists, 55 steals in 2017) arrived from nowhere—well almost—and helped lift the Fordham Rams to a winning season: 18-12 overall and 6-4 in the MAWPC. The Italian native played the previous three seasons at Whittier College; now, after a graduate year at Fordham’s business school, Mirarchi has no more NCAA eligibility left.

Goalie Alex Jahns (233 saves)—another key contributor in 2017—is also graduated, likely to be replaced by Patrick Coffey (50 saves). Luckily, junior Jake Miller-Tolt (72 goals, 54 assists, 98 steals) has two more season to push Bill Harris’s team up in the conference standings. Senior Ian Watson (27 goals) will lead an experienced Rams squad that boasts 12 upperclassmen.

Key Match-Up: Wednesday, October 17, vs. Wagner

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At the bottom of this preview, and a polar opposite of Wagner, is LaSalle. Like the Seahawks, the Explorers’ program is three years old, but—besides wins—a major deviation is that La Salle founding coach Paul Macht resigned last June. Recently taking the reins of both the men’s and women’s programs is Tom Hyham, who will now be charged with leading his men’s team out of the wilderness of the Eastern bracket of the MAWPC; when LaSalle joined the CWPA in 2016 they were placed in the far less competitive MAWPC West until sliding East this year.

It’s an auspicious moment for Explorers polo—and the hope is that Hayden, with strong ties to California, is the answer. Having spent the past seven years as a head coach in Huntington Beach—one of SoCal’s most fertile polo regions—he has direct access to some of the country’s most accomplished age group athletes.

But the earliest that talent tap will open up is the next NCAA signing period. For now, Hayden must work with a squad that last year counted on its roster only four players from the Golden State while posting a 6-18 record, including a 4-3 mark in the MAWPC West.

Expected to return for LaSalle this season are junior Jeff Brady (41 goals, 14 assists) and sophomore Daniel Domotor (41 goals, 16 assists and 27 steals). Both were named to the All- MAWPC West 2nd Team. Junior goalie Owain Llewellyn registered 106 saves in 2017, last season he was sprung by sophomore goalie / defender Cameron Schiable (87 saves).

The silver lining for Hayden and Explorer faithful is that LaSalle’s early schedule is sprinkled with MAWPC West opponents who are not nearly as formidable as MAWPC East teams.

The dark cloud: all those East teams are on the schedule at least twice in 2018, with Wagner, George Washington and Navy appearing three times.

Key Match-Up: Saturday, October 13, vs. Fordham

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Ryan
Ryan
5 years ago

I believe the Greek goalie from GW transferred to USC. Also, Navy got a stud goalie from Newport Harbor in their incoming class

kevin yardley
kevin yardley
5 years ago

how is isaac salinas not a high level recruit for Navy? he was on the national under 18 team. i have watched this guy play for four years since he was on the under 14 olympic development team. he’s pretty good!

James Conte
James Conte
5 years ago

USC’s goalies are so strong this year if they also added the Greek.

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