Destici, Mavis Claim All-American Honors
12/17/2018 12:02:00 PM | Water Polo
Colonials honored after historic postseason run
BRIDGEPORT, Pa. - Following George Washington men's water polo's historic run to the NCAA quarterfinals, Atakan Destici and Andrew Mavis were recognized as Honorable Mention All-Americans by the Association of College Water Polo Coaches on Monday.
The junior standouts helped the Colonials to tie the program record with 23 wins with a repeat Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference title, their first NCAA Tournament victory and a No. 11 national ranking along the way.Â
Destici paced the Buff and Blue with a career-high 157 points via 85 goals and 72 assists, while Mavis posted a career-best 83 goals and also led the team with 65 ejections drawn.Â
It's the second All-American nod for both Colonials: Mavis was recognized for the second straight season, while Destici was previously lauded in 2016. This is the second time the program has earned multiple mentions on the ACWPC's national list after Destici and Bogdan Petkovic were honored in 2016.
"It's a tremendous honor for two guys who truly deserve it," GW head coach Barry King said. "What Atakan and Andrew have done to lift our program over the past three years is absolutely sensational. They've earned all of their success by working so hard at such a high level, and they've helped create an atmosphere on our pool deck that makes everyone around them better."
A three-time All-MAWPC First Team pick, Destici solidified his place among the top Colonials in program history with his best season yet. The junior from Turkey averaged 5.2 points per game en route to a total that ranks second on the program's single-season list. He also led the squad in field blocks (16) and ranked second in steals (49).
Destici made GW's NCAA run possible with his heroics in the MAWPC Championship final on Nov. 18. With the Colonials down one to Bucknell in the closing seconds, he beat the buzzer to extend the game for an overtime win. Against Princeton in the opening round of the national tournament, he posted three goals and five assists to power the Buff and Blue to another overtime victory.
Destici is set to enter his senior season ranked third on GW's all-time points list with 419. He's the program's career assist leader (194) and ranks sixth on the goals list (225).
Mavis earned a repeat All-American nod after connecting on 83 of 154 attempts (53.9 percent). A second-team All-MAWPC pick, the New Jersey native used his size and strength in the middle to eclipse his goal total from last season. He also contributed 27 steals and five field blocks, defensively.
Mavis was selected to the All-MAWPC Championship Team after totaling 10 goals in three victories, including a pair in overtime against Bucknell in the final. He scored once in the NCAA victory over Princeton before tallying a team-high three goals in the quarterfinals against 11-time national champion UCLA.
For his career, Mavis has tallied 203 goals, which ranks tied for ninth on the program's all-time list.
Destici and Mavis were among six MAWPC picks on the AWPC's Division I All-American list. It's the third straight season and sixth time in seven years that GW has been represented.
