Princeton University Athletics
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Men's Water Polo Tied for 11th in CWPA Poll; Opens Season at Navy Invite
August 31, 2015 | Men's Water Polo
2015 CWPA MEN'S PRESEASON VARSITY TOP-20
PRINCETON, N.J. – Coming off of another successful campaign, the Princeton University water polo team tied for 11th in the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Preseason Varsity Top-20.
Knotted with fellow 2014 CWPA Eastern finalist Brown, the Tigers and Bears are the highest ranked teams outside of California. UCLA took home the top slot with 99 points, followed by USC (93), Cal (90), Stanford (87), and Pacific (78).
Long Beach State was slotted sixth with 75 points, while UC-Santa Barbara (66), Pepperdine (54), UC-Irvine (53), and UC-San Diego (52) rounded out the top-10. UC-Davis (44) and Loyola Marymount (41) came in 13th and 14th, respectively, while Navy (26) and San Jose State (17) were 15th and 16th. St. Francis (Brooklyn) and Air Force were tied for 17th with 15 points, while MIT and Bucknell tied for 19th (14).
The Tigers will open their 2015 slate with four matches at the Navy Invitational. Squaring off against Cal Lutheran (10:40 a.m.) and Iona (6:30 p.m.) on Saturday, Sept. 5, Princeton will face Lindenwood (8 a.m.) and Gannon (1 p.m.) on Sept. 6.
Last season, the Orange and Black posted a 23-4 overall record and 7-1 mark in CWPA Southern play. Capturing the program's eighth Southern title with a 12-10 victory over Bucknell, Princeton dispatched of Johns Hopkins (W, 18-5) and Navy (W, 6-3) in the first two rounds of the CWPA Championship. Advancing to their second-consecutive CWPA title game, the Tigers dropped a hard-fought decision to Brown, 7-6.
Below is a quick look at Princeton's returnees and newcomers. Check back on www.GoPrincetonTigers.com throughout the week for an inside look at preseason/video preview, as well as game notes on opening weekend.
SENIORS
Thomas Nelson and Jamie Kuprenas headline the Tigers' senior class as the team's co-captains. An honorable mention ACWPC All-America selection and CWPA Southern Division first-team honoree last season, Nelson finished third on the squad in goals (40), while also amassing 29 steals, 13 assists, 15 drawn ejections, and nine blocks. Scoring a goal in each of his first eight appearances, Nelson had 11 multi-goal games and was twice named the CWPA Southern Player of the Week.
Starting 25 of his 27 appearances, Kuprenas led the team with 31 assists, while also collecting in 19 goals, 34 steals, 26 drawn ejections, and nine blocks. In three seasons in Orange and Black, Kuprenas has appeared in 80 games, recording 53 goals and 67 assists. Bradley Wachtell rounds out the Tigers' senior class, tallying three goals, four assists, and seven blocks in 27 appearances a year ago.
JUNIORS
Jovan Jeremic, Bret Hinrichs, and Curtis Fink make up Princeton's solid junior class. Building on a successful rookie campaign that saw him claim CWPA Southern Rookie of the Year honors, Jeremic appeared in all 27 contests a year ago, making 10 starts. Finding the back of the opposing net 33 times, he also registered 22 assists and 16 steals while drawing eight ejections.
Fink netted 17 goals in 2014 to go along with 11 assists, 30 drawn ejections, and four blocks. Over the course of his first two seasons, Fink has appeared in 55 matches, collecting 37 goals, 22 assists, and 60 drawn ejections. Hinrichs started two of his 27 appearances last season, notching 12 goals. Also nabbing nine steals, he finished with nine drawn ejections, two blocks, and two assists.
SOPHOMORES
Vojislav Mitrovic leads Princeton's sophomore class after enjoying a stellar rookie season that saw him earn honorable mention ACWPC All-America and first-team CWPA All-Southern accolades. Posting an 18-3 overall record, he logged 663:37 minutes in net with a 0.604 save percentage. Also amassing 23 steals and 10 assists, he garnered three Southern Division Defensive Player of the Week selections and registered double-digit saves in 16 of his 22 appearances.
Making an immediate impact as a freshman, Jordan Colina started 20 of Princeton's 27 games, finishing second on the team in goals (50) while nabbing a team-high 45 steals. Also going 73-6 (0.920) on sprints, he scored a goal in all but two appearances and factored into the scoring in all 27 of the team's contests.
Connor McGoldrick started three of his 27 appearances, tallying 18 goals, 17 assists, 21 steals, 27 drawn ejections, and four blocks. Eric Bowen drew 18 ejections and had 11 goals and seven steals in 24 games last season, while Ryan Hammarskjold saw time in 16 matches.
FRESHMEN
Princeton water polo will welcome four new faces to the fold this season. Ryan Melosini gives the Tigers depth at goalkeeper, while Matt Payne, Michael Swart, and Ryan Wilson compete for time in the field.