Pictured Above: Senior Utility Mike Ward

La Verne, CA – The Wagner College men's water polo team is slated to compete in the two-day Gary Troyer Tournament in La Verne, CA as the Seahawks will play a total of four matches on the West Coast. 

On Friday, Wagner will square off against the Fresno-Pacific Sunbirds at 3:20 pm (EST) and conclude the first day against the Santa Clara Broncos at 7:20 pm (EST). On Saturday, the Green & White wrap up their California excursion against the Chapman Panthers at 2:40 pm (EST) and the No. 9 ranked, UC-San Diego Tritons at 6:40 pm (EST). 

All-time, the Seahawks are 4-10 in the Golden State, which includes three wins against Fresno-Pacific and a 2018 win against the Air Force Academy.



LAST TIME OUT FOR WAGNER:
The Seahawks posted a 2-1 record this past weekend in hosting a trio of matches at the Spiro Sports Center Pool. On Saturday, Wagner split its two matches, besting La Salle, 15-12 before dropping a 14-8 decision in the nightcap against George Washington. 

Prior to Sunday's match, six senior student-athletes were recognized on Senior Day, as Aaron Leighton, Luigi Paparella, Lachlan Trabinger, Tristan O'Connell, Matthew Miller and Mike Ward were honored. 

Following the Senior Day festivities, Wagner downed Johns Hopkins, 20-13. Oliver Fodor notched a team-best five goals against the Blue Jays while Vuk Bulajic tallied four goals and four assists.



FODOR NAMED MAWPC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK:
It was announced on Tuesday that freshman Olivér Fodor was tabbed Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) Rookie of the Week. The first-year Seahawk led the Seahawks to a pair of weekend triumphs while recording 12 goals, eight exclusions drawn, three assists and three steals. 

Fodor upped his team-leading goals total to 31 on the season while drawing 34 exclusions in just 10 matches. 

In addition to Fodor earning Rookie of the Week honors, he also earned a spot on the Player of the Week Honor Roll. Accompanying him with distinctions was freshman goalkeeper Ethan Zirh, who earned a spot on the Defensive Player of the Week Honor Roll after stopping 29 shots and posting five steals over the weekend. 



ABOUT FRESNO-PACIFIC:
The Sunbirds are coming into the Gary Troyer with a record of 2-10, having been forced to replace most of their top scorers from last season, which includes ACWPC All-Americans Kyle Eoff and Lazar Raca. In all, they have had to make up for over 129 goals, 103 assists, 41 steals and 105 drawn exclusions.

So far this season, the Sunbirds have only surpassed the double-digit mark in goals three times, while they have conceded over ten goals in all, but one game.

Offensively, they are led by junior driver Jacob Fairchild and Uros Pelemis who combined for 65 goals, 37 assists, with Fairchild leading the team in goals.

In goal, Fresno-Pacific relies on veteran goalkeeper Josh Rampage who tallied 237 saves last season, including 21 in a postseason victory of Concordia. 
 


ABOUT SANTA CLARA:
The Broncos are coming into this weekend with a record of 4-4, three of those setbacks coming at the hands of MAWPC foes, George Washington, Fordham, and Navy.

Santa Clara is led by senior driver Shane Hughes and classmate utility Mac Carey as the pair have combined for 25 goals and 39 assists on the season.

In goal, the Broncos have yet to find their full-time starter, utilizing both sophomore Sean Tehaney and freshman Chase Zamborelli.



ABOUT CHAPMAN:
The Panthers will be donning a record of 3-26 going into the Gary Troyer Tournament after grabbing a pair of victories over Occidental and Redlands last week at home.

They are led by sophomore attacker Graham Asalone, who leads the team in goals (35) and assists (19).

In all, the Panthers have been outscored 133-89 on the season so far, allowing an average of 14.78 goals per game, while only scoring 9.89.


ABOUT NO. 9 UC-SAN DIEGO:
The Tritons are 10-5 on the year with seven victories coming against ranked opponents (UC-Davis, UC-Irvine, Princeton, Brown, St. Francis Brooklyn and San Jose State).

The Tritons are led by 2018 ACWPC Division II Goalkeeper of the Year, Jack Turner, as well as First-Team selections, Skyler Munatones and Connor Turnbow-Lindednstadt.

They will look to keep winning as they try to repeat as Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) Tournament and regular season champions. 


NEXT UP FOR WAGNER:
The Seahawks will be back in action on Wednesday, October 16, as they will travel to New Rochelle, NY to tangle with the Iona College Gaels at 7:00 p.m. 



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