New York Athletic Club Claims 2008 Premier League Title

LOS ALAMITOS, California, May 19. IT came down to the two powerhouses to decide the championship of the 2008 Premier League in the form of the New York Athletic Club and the Newport Water Polo Foundation. Both boasting rosters chock full of current and future Olympians the teams battled to the end with New York taking the title 11-7.

It was an evenly matched contest throughout the entire first half as New York opened the scoring only to have Newport answer immediately tying the game at one goal apiece. The score was tied 2-2 after the first quarter and remained tight until NYAC opened up their first two goal lead of the day at 7-5. From there the lead would only mushroom ballooning to 11-6 at one point before a goal from Newport brought the final score to 11-7.

NYAC and their roster containing current USA Senior National Team members including Merrill Moses, Tony Azevedo, Layne Beaubien, Adam Wright, Jesse Smith, Rick Merlo, John Mann, and Jeff Tyrrell were bolstered by previous Olympians Wolf Wigo and Sean Kern. They were able to outslug the Newport club that came loaded as well with current team members Genai Kerr, Jeff Powers, Dreason Barry, Tim Hutten, and Ryan Bailey not to mention 2004 Olympians Omar Amr and Dan Klatt.

In other action the Los Angeles Water Polo Club anchored by Brandon Brooks, Peter Hudnut, Brian Alexander, Kevin Witt and Juan Delgadillo were able to defeat the Pacific Zone team 7-5 to claim third place. Fifth place went to the Olympic Club who defeated Team Canada 11-8. Thomas Hopkins, Peter Varellas, and Olympian Sean Nolan helped guide that squad to victory.

Coastal California, Southern Pacific, and Zone Premier League qualifier SET rounded out the finishers. The tournament awards went to Merrill Moses and Tony Azevedo from NYAC as the top goalkeeper and offensive player. Newport's Tim Hutten took top defensive player while Peter Kruzeka from Los Angeles Water Polo was named best newcomer.

Next up for the Men's Senior National Team will be the America's Cup starting this Tuesday in Thousand Oaks, California at Oaks Christian High School. The event will run through Saturday featuring Team USA in two split-squads, Team Canada, and the Premier League All-Star Team. Tickets are available through usawaterpolo.org.

2008 Premier League Championships Final Standings
1. New York Athletic Club
2. Newport Water Polo Foundation
3. Los Angeles Water Polo Club
4. Pacific Zone National Team
5. The Olympic Club
6. Team Canada
7. Coastal California Zone Team
8. Southern Pacific Zone Team
9. SET Water Polo

Premier League Championship Awards

Best Goal Keeper: Merrill Moses, NYAC
Best Defender: Tim Hutten, Newport WPF
Best Offender: Tony Azevedo, NYAC
Best Newcomer: Peter Kruzeka, LAWPC

Special thanks to USA Water Polo for contributing this report.

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use