(Note: This post has been updated to reflect weekend schedule changes.)
Looking to return to the top of the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference standings, GW men's water polo opens its season this weekend with three games in as many days.
The Colonials begin the truncated campaign on Friday night by welcoming No. 10 Navy to The St. James in Springfield, Va. for a 7 p.m. start. They will then travel to Annapolis, Md., to face the Midshipmen on Saturday (4 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.).
Friday night's game at The St. James is set to be streamed via Facebook Live.
Gabriele Simonti looks to build on a strong junior season.A LOOK BACK: GW finished with a No. 17 national ranking in 2019 after winning 22 games and advancing to the MAWPC final for the fourth straight season behind the play of All-Conference performers Atakan Destici, Andrew Mavis, Andras Levai and Matt Taylor.
Mavis earned All-America honors for the third straight season after netting 76 goals to finish with 279 for his career, while Destici closed out an unforgettable run in Buff and Blue with a program-record 238 assists and 497 total points.
ALL-TIME ANDRAS: After earning his first All-America nod thanks to a junior season in which he posted a team-leading 88 goals and 62 assists in 31 games, Levai returns to the lineup with a chance to keep moving up the program's all-time record lists.
Entering Friday's opener, Levai ranks in the top 10 in assists (172, third), points (399, fourth), goals (227, eighth), steals (157, 10th) and field blocks (30, 10th). The lefty from Budapest, Hungary, owns three of the top 11 single-season point totals in program history and has increased his output each year, going from 110 to 139 to 150.
FAMILIAR KID ON THE BLOCK: After transferring from Orange Coast Community College, Gabriele Simonti made an instant impact for the Buff and Blue in 2019, particularly on the defensive end. The Florence, Italy, native totaled 30 field blocks to tie the program single-season record, in addition to grabbing 41 steals. His best defensive effort came in a win over then-No. 12 Princeton when he set a program single-game mark with seven field blocks.
Simonti was no slouch offensively, totaling 59 points via 40 goals and 19 assists to rank fourth on the 2019 squad
DJ Davis came on strong in 2019 with 18 goals over his final 11 games.BATTLE-TESTED: In replacing three of its top five scores, GW figures to lean on a trio of juniors who have plenty of experience in high-pressure situations. D.J. Davis, Nick Schroeder and Henry Maas have been a part of 45 wins over the past two seasons, and each logged meaningful minutes during the Buff and Blue's run to the national quarterfinals in 2018.
Schroeder posted a career-high 54 points last season, while Davis (20 goals) and Maas (16 goals) set new scoring marks as sophomores.
READY TO HELP: GW has added five first-years to the mix, a group that brings high-level international and club experience. A member of the Italian National Team, Luca Castorina (Catania, Sicily) takes over in net, while Viktor Jovanovic (Calgary, Canada), Kalan Smith (Manhattan Beach, Calif.), Nik Schoening (Danville, Calif.) and Ford Bruggen (Kensington, Md.) aim to earn roles in the lineup.
THE ROAD AHEAD: GW, which landed two spots outside of the top 10 in the latest CWPA national poll, is set to play eight regular season games over the next three weekends before heading to the MAWPC Championship, which will be held at Navy's Lejeune Hall on March 6-7.
Feb. 9, 2021 marked the 200th anniversary of the U.S. Congress' establishment of The George Washington University's charter. GW Athletics is proud to be part of the university's bicentennial celebration, honoring the historic milestone with a variety of initiatives meant to highlight the best of the Buff and Blue. To learn more about the #GW200 festivities, click here.
Callie Flipse enjoyed a historic career in Buff and Blue, becoming the first woman to compete on a GW men's varsity team in an NCAA-recognized sport and excelling in the process. A member of the U.S. Women's National Team, the Florida native was a four-year water polo starter from 1984-87, capped by a senior campaign in which she scored 50 goals and was named team MVP. She went on to coach the program for four seasons, earning Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Coach of the Year honors three times.
