STOCKTON, Calif. – The entire seven-man starting lineup of the Pacific men's water polo team has earned Golden Coast Conference post-season recognition as the GCC announced the 2022 First-Team, Second-Team and Honorable Mention honorees Wednesday.
This is the most conference honorees for the Tigers since joining the GCC in 2016.
"I'm extremely proud and happy of all of these guys," said Head Coach James Graham. "These are well-deserved honors. "It's a testament to their hard work and dedication over the last year to adapt and develop their game."
Sophomore Reuel D'Souza, senior Bogdan Djerkovic and graduate student Bae Fountain earned First-Team GCC All-Conference honors.
D'Souza, the 2021 GCC Newcomer of the Year, was named First-Team All-GCC thanks to his 85 total points, ranking in a tie for second in the GCC. He is ninth in the conference with 47 goals and second with 38 assists. He averages 1.5 assists a game in 25 games played, putting him second in the GCC for assists per game. He leads the conference in points per game, averaging 3.4
Djerkovic earned his second straight first-team selection and is tied for second in the GCC with 55 goals. He is second in the conference in goals-per-game, averaging 2.2 goals in 25 played games.
First-year Tiger, Fountain, leads the GCC with 210 saves and a saves percentage of .507. He leads the conference in saves per game with 10.5 in 20 games played.
Senior Jeremie Cote and sophomore Mihailo Vukazic were named to the All-GCC Second-Team.
Cote is ninth in the conference in points with 66 and tied for ninth in goals-per-game, averaging 1.8 in 25 games played. He's eighth in the GCC in points-per-game averaging 2.6.
Vukazic is tied for second in the GCC in goals with 55 and tied for ninth in assists with 26. He's fourth in the conference in points with 81. He's tied for second in goals-per-game with 2.2 in 25 games played and tied ninth in assists-per-games averaging 1.0 per game. Vukazic is third in the GCC for points-per-game averaging 3.2.
Senior Matthew Hosmer and senior Djordje Stanic earned All-GCC honorable mention recognition.
Hosmer is fourth on the conference leaderboard with 51 goals and 10th in the conference in points with 63. He's fourth in the GCC in sprint wins with 11. Hosmer is fourth in goals-per-games averaging 2.0 in 25 games played. He's 10th in points-per-game averaging 2.5.
Stanic has 28 goals on the season with a .718 shot percentage. He has 45 points and 17 assists. He leads the Tigers with 13 steals and leads the team with six field blocks. He has three drawn exclusions this season.
"The passion and persistence these guys bring daily is an inspiration to everyone in the program, and we look forward to bringing that to the GCC championships this weekend," said Graham.
Pacific claims the most individuals with awards in the 2022 GCC All-Conference with seven. Long Beach State follows with five.
"The breadth of these awards is a strong representation of the commitment and hard work of our men's water polo players and coaches," said Director of Athletics Janet Lucas. "Their united sense of purpose around creating a first-class team culture while representing competitive excellence is instrumental to the program's success."
The Tigers earned the 2022 GCC Regular Season Co-Champions title and the #1 seed into the conference tournament, hosted by UC Santa Barbara November 18-20. Pacific earned a bye into the semifinals and will play at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19. Fans can live stream the game here.
