Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
No. 11 Men's Water Polo Heads to Annapolis For Navy Invitational
September 02, 2015 | Men's Water Polo
2015 PRINCETON MEN'S WATER POLO VIDEO PREVIEW
THE YEAR THAT WAS
• The Tigers posted a 23-4 record in 2014 with a 7-1 mark in CWPA Southern play.
• Princeton opened the season on a six-game win streak before suffering its first setback of the season at Johns Hopkins (10-9). The Tigers responded by reeling off five more victories en route to an 11-1 start, the program's best since opening the 2003 season, 11-0.
• After consecutive losses to UCLA (16-3) and Pacific (12-7), the Tigers ripped off 12-straight wins.
• Princeton's 12-game streak ranked second only to the 2004 squad's run of 13-consecutive victories.
• Slotted 13th in last season's preseason poll, the Tigers climbed as high as No. 8, becoming the highest-ranked men's program from the East Coast in the modern era (post-2006).
• Cruising to wins over Gannon (17-8) and Johns Hopkins (8-6) in the first two rounds of the Southern Division Championship, the Tigers claimed their eighth Southern crown with a 12-10 victory over Bucknell.
• Dispatching of Johns Hopkins (18-5) and Navy (6-3) at Easterns, Princeton advanced to its second-consecutive CWPA Championship where it would ultimately fall to Brown, 7-6.
• Three Tigers garnered first-team All-Southern and honorable mention All-America recognition.
2014 BY THE NUMBERS
• Last season Princeton posted a 13-3 record against teams ranked in the final CWPA Varsity Top-20 poll, with its only losses coming to No. 1 UCLA, No. 8 Pacific, and No. 8 Brown.
• Excelling in close games, the Tigers were 12-2 in contests decided by two goals or less. In one-goal games, Princeton sported a 5-2 mark while going 3-0 in overtime.
• Featuring a balanced attack, all but three of the Tigers' field players netted at least 10 goals, with four players surpassing the 30-goal plateau.
• Princeton outscored its opponents 297-225 in 2014.
• Helping to secure possessions, the Tigers were 93-19 (.830) on sprints a year ago.
• Combined, Princeton's goalkeepers turned away 348 of the 573 shots they faced en route to a 0.607 save percentage.
LEADING THE WAY
• Thomas Nelson and Jamie Kuprenas will serve as the team's co-captains this season.
• A three-time ACWPC honorable mention All-America selection, Nelson has amassed 127 goals, 114 steals, 30 assists, and 27 blocks in three seasons.
• A first-team All-Southern honoree last season, Nelson was third on the squad in goals (40), while also collecting 29 steals, 13 assists, and nine blocks.
• Finding the back of the opposing net in each of his first six outings, he finished with 11 multi-goal games in 2014.
• Nelson currently ranks 11th on the program scoring list with 127 goals.
• Kuprenas started 25 of 27 appearances last season, leading the team with a career-high 31 assists.
• Also tallying 19 goals, he nabbed 34 steals and drew 26 ejections.
• In 80 career games, Kuprenas has posted 53 goals, 76 steals, and 17 blocks.
NEXT MAN UP
• With the graduation of 2014 CWPA Southern Player of the Year Drew Hoffenberg and the rest of last year's senior class, Princeton returns just 203 of its 297 goals last season.
• Hoping to pick up some of the production, Jordan Colina will look to build on a solid rookie campaign that saw him finish second on the team in goals (50). Going 73-6 (0.920) as the team's primary sprinter, Colina led the squad in steals (45), while dishing out 14 assists.
• Thomas Nelson was third on the team in goals (40), while Jovan Jeremic had 33 goals and 22 assists.
• Jamie Kuprenas notched 19 goals and 31 assists, while Connor McGoldrick pieced together a solid freshman season with 18 goals, 17 assists, and 21 steals. Curtis Fink, Eric Bowen, and Bret Hinrichs combined for 40 goals as 11 different Tigers posted double-digit scores a year ago.
• Defensively, ACWPC honorable mention goalie Vojislav Mitrovic returns to the fold after a stellar rookie campaign.
• Logging 663:37 minutes in 22 appearances, Mitrovic posted an 18-3 record with a 0.604 save percentage.
• A three-time Southern Division Defensive Player of the Week, he registered double-digit saves in 16 of his 22 outings, making a career-high 16 stops against Johns Hopkins (9/7), Loyola Marymount (10/11), and Iona (10/25).
SERIES HISTORIES
• Princeton is 1-0 all-time against Cal Lutheran, winning the inaugural meeting 14-10 in the 2012 season opener.
• The Tigers are 22-0 all-time against Iona with a 7-0 record on neutral sites. Last season, Princeton twice defeated the Gaels by scores of 20-11 and 13-12 (ot).
• Gannon is 0-11 all-time against Princeton and 0-8 on neutral sites. In 2014, the Tigers prevailed in the first round of the Southern Division championship, 17-8.
SCOUTING CAL LUTHERAN
• Cal Lutheran finished 10-14 last season with a 6-5 SCIAC record, placing fourth in the conference.
• Losing its top scorer from a year ago, Cal Lutheran does return a pair of potent offensive threats in AJ Franklin and Shea Craig.
• Last season, Franklin ranked second on the team in goals (28) and finished tied for second in assists (14). Craig was third on the squad in scoring with 26 goals.
SCOUTING IONA
• Last season, Iona posted a 7-21 overall record, going 5-7 against CWPA North opponents.
• Zach Presto returns as the team's top scorer. Last season, Presto was third on the team in points (56), goals (40), and assists (16).
• Matt McCrudden also returns after appearing in 16 games last season while posting a 0.41 save percentage and 16.0 goals-against-average.
SCOUTING GANNON
• Gannon posted an 8-9 overall record in 2014, going 3-2 in CWPA Southern Division-West Region play.
• Marko Sadikovic is the Golden Knights top returning scorer, having posted 37 goals and 12 assists last season.
• Gilberto Millan also returns after finishing third on the team in goals (34) with nine assists last season.
• Sean Morphy begins his first season as head coach after spending the previous two campaigns as the team's top assistant.