There were just 19 matches on water polo Week 11, but that didn’t stop the goals from rolling in. All told, there were 49 efforts of three or more goals.
Here’s a look at those who went on to win top honors from their conferences for their efforts.
GCC
Player of the Week: Rafael Real Vergara, Long Beach State – Totaled eight goals in two wins; put in five goals in a 21-20 overtime victory over #13 Loyola Marymount; logged a hat trick in a 11-8 win over #15 UC Irvine
Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference
Offensive Player of the Week: Dimitris Koukias, Fordham – Scored a combined eight goals across three games; notched two scores in a 9-8 win over St. Francis Brooklyn and in a 9-6 loss to #15 Bucknell; ended the regular season with four goals and an assist in an 11-10 win vs. La Salle.
Defensive Player of the Week: Bailey O’Mara, Fordham – Grabbed 37 saves and six steals as the Rams went 2-1; racked up 11 saves and a steal in a 9-8 win over St. Francis Brooklyn; added 10 saves and two steals in a 9-6 loss vs. #15 Bucknell; finished the week with 16 saves, three steals and an assist in an 11-10 win over LaSalle; snapped the season record for saves with 328, passing Noah Lebeau (311, 2014).
MPSF
Player of the Week: Ben Hallock, Stanford – Put in a game-high five goals as the Cardinal topped #3 UCLA 17-11; added three drawn exclusions and five field blocks.
Newcomer of the Week: Nikolaos Papanikolaou, Cal – Notched three goals and seven drawn exclusions in a 14-13 loss to #1 USC
SCIAC
Offensive Athlete of the Week: Dominick Nevarez, Whittier – Recorded five goals in a 22-9 win over Chapman; notched a goal and three assists in a 13-8 win over Occidental
Defensive Athlete of the Week: Chris Martinez, Redlands – Tallied 21 saves as the Bulldogs topped La Verne and Chapman by identical 10-9 scores.