STOCKTON, Calif. – After winning the West Coast Conference Regular Season Championship for the second year in a row, the sixth-ranked Pacific men's water polo program earned a long list of postseason awards from the league.
 
The accolades included head coach James Graham winning Coach of the Year and freshman Apostolos Georgaras winning Freshman of the Year. Georgaras was also named to the All-Conference First-Team, while sophomore Ori Buzaglo and freshman Borisz Kasa-Gal were tabbed to the Second-Team.
 
Receiving All-Conference Honorable Mention were senior Daniel Viscia and freshman Kiss Gergely. The freshmen trio of Georgaras, Kasa-Gal and Gergely were named to the WCC All-Freshman Team.

"Congratulations to all our players on their much-deserved WCC awards. I'm incredibly impressed by their dedication, adaptability and passion for the sport. What makes this even more special is having four freshmen and one sophomore recognized — that speaks to their maturity and the work they bring every day. A special congratulations to senior Dan Viscia, who earned every bit of this honor. He worked his way up through the ranks over his entire career to become an All-Conference player, and that journey says everything about his character. The future is bright here at Pacific, and I'm proud to be a part of their journey," Graham said.

For the second straight year, Graham was named the league's Coach of the Year. After being picked third in the WCC Preseason Poll, Graham coached the Tigers to a first-place finish and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.

"I'm incredibly honored to be named WCC Coach of the Year, but awards like this never belong to one person. A huge portion of the credit goes to Derek Clappis — he is the heartbeat of Pacific Water Polo and so much of our success starts with the work he does every single day. I'm also grateful for Andrew Cates and our entire staff; nothing great is built alone. But at the end of the day, it's our players who make us look good. I'm proud of this group and grateful I get to coach them," Graham said.
 
Graham became a six-time men's water polo Coach of the Year winner as he won it in the WCC last year, the GCC in 2022 and 2017, and the MPSF in 2015 and 2013. Over the last two seasons, Pacific is 11-1 in conference.
 
Georgaras became the first Freshman of the Year from Pacific dating back to 1993 when the program joined the MPSF. He led the Tigers with 70 goals including 13 games of at least a hat trick. Georgaras recorded a career-high eight goals in a win over Bucknell.
 
The last time Pacific garnered three student-athletes on an All-Freshman Team was 2016 when Ege Colak, Luis Araya and Alen Osmanovic did so in the GCC.
 
Pacific earned a first round by at the WCC Tournament and begin the postseason Saturday in the semifinals at 2 p.m. (PT) against either fourth-seeded LMU or fifth-seeded CBU. The championship game is Sunday at 12 p.m. (PT), hosted by Air Force.

Quoting Pacific General Manager Alex Obert
On Apostolos Georgaras
"Apostolos delivered one of the best freshman seasons in Pacific history, immediately making his mark in our record books. His impact was felt from day one, and this is only the beginning. We can't wait to see what he does next."

On Ori Buzaglo
"Ori anchored the middle for us all season, dominating inside and setting the tone every single game. His presence, toughness, and consistency were a foundation for our entire team."

On Kiss Gergely
"Kiss stepped into one of the hardest roles in the sport as a freshman and absolutely excelled. He became the backbone of our defense and earned every bit of his All-Conference and All-Freshman recognition."

On Daniel Viscia
"Daniel has always stepped up in the biggest moments, and this season was no different. In his final year, he delivered clutch performances and earned well-deserved All-Conference honors."

On Borisz Kasa-Gal
"Borisz showed flashes of the enormous potential he has—scoring big goals, making game-changing plays, and doing whatever the team needed to win. His future at Pacific is incredibly bright."

On James Graham
"James continues his remarkable run, proving yet again why he's one of the top coaches in the country. Bringing this new group together and getting them to play at such a high level shows how quickly he can build, develop, and elevate a team."

2025 West Coast Conference Men's Water Polo Honors
Coach of the Year
James Graham, Pacific
 
West Coast Conference Player of the Year
Brendon Gyapjas, San José State
 
West Coast Conference Newcomer of the Year
Alika Naone, LMU
 
West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year
Apostolos Georgaras, Pacific
 
First-Team
Tommaso Baldineti, LMU
Riccardo De Simon, Santa Clara
Apostolos Georgaras, Pacific
Brendon Gyapjas, San Jose State
Tom Leggett, Air Force
Andrea Nuzzo, California Baptist
Abel Romero Corbalan, LMU
 
Second-Team
Samu Biros, San José State
Ori Buzaglo, Pacific
Henry Engs, Santa Clara
Erik Ionescu, Pepperdine
Borisz Kasa-Gal, Pacific
Samuel Keightley, San José State
Max Smirnov, Pepperdine
 
Honorable Mention
Bence Barics, LMU
Mateja Bosic, San José State
Jon Carcarey, Pepperdine
Sandor Gal, Pepperdine
Kiss Gergely, Pacific
Dane Howell, Pepperdine
Reese Jenican, Santa Clara
Rafael Martinez, California Baptist
Alika Naone, LMU
Jack Richards, Air Force
Alex Righetti, California Baptist
Daniel Viscia, Pacific
Matty Walsh, Pepperdine
 
West Coast Conference All-Freshman Team
Whitley Beamon, California Baptist
Csanád Bella, Pepperdine
Kiss Gergely, Pacific
Apostolos Georgaras, Pacific
Borisz Kasa-Gal, Pacific
Samuel Keightley, San Jose State
Imme van der Schaaf, Santa Clara
 
Stay Social
For all the latest on Pacific men's water polo, be sure to follow the team on X (@UOPWaterPoloU), Instagram (@pacificwaterpolo) and "like" the team's official Facebook page (Pacific Men's Water Polo).
 
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