George Washington University Athletics
Sunday, March 7
Lewisburg, PA
11 AM
George Washington University
vs
La Salle
Men's Water Polo Aims for MAWPC Title
3/6/2021 9:30:00 AM | Water Polo
Buff & Blue seek third conference title in four seasons
GW water polo heads to the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Championship on Sunday, seeking its third conference title in four seasons at Bucknell's Kinney Natatorium.
The Buff and Blue secured the No. 2 seed for the revised three-team event and are set to face third-seeded La Salle at 11 a.m. with the winner advancing to face the host Bison in a 3:30 p.m. final.
The MAWPC champion will earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship, which will be hosted at USC's Uytengsu Aquatics Center in Los Angeles from March 18-21.
LAST TIME OUT: GW played three tight games vs. MAWPC opponents over two days at Navy last weekend, falling to No. 9 Navy and Bucknell before edging La Salle.
In the weekend finale, Andras Levai scored the go-ahead with 2:25 to go, and the Buff and Blue held off the Explorers from there for a 9-8 victory.
In recognition of his excellence in net throughout the weekend, Luca Castorina was honored as MAWPC Defensive Player of the Week. The rookie from Catania, Sicily, recorded 43 saves vs. 32 goals allowed over the three games, plus four steals and his first career assist.
Making his season debut, Levai powered the offense with seven goals and five assists.
CHAMPIONSHIP MEMORIES: GW has advanced to the MAWPC final in four straight seasons. After coming up short in 2016, the Buff and Blue claimed their first-ever conference title in 2017 and then repeated in 2018 before later adding their first NCAA victory to advance to the national quarterfinals.
In 2019, GW beat Johns Hopkins and Fordham to reach the final again, but they couldn't complete the three-peat, falling to host Bucknell, 9-4. It was the third time in four seasons that the title was decided between the Colonials and Bison.
SENIOR SHOUTOUT: GW seniors Levai (seven goals) and Gabriele Simonti (six) ranked first and tied for second on the squad, respectively, in scoring during the regular season, and both have posted career numbers to ensure their place in program history.
Levai was a key part of GW's MAWPC title runs in 2017 and 2018 before earning ACWPC All-American honors for the first time in 2019 after notching a team-leading 88 goals and 62 assists in 31 games.
The lefty from Budapest, Hungary, enters the MAWPC Championship ranked among the program's all-time top 10 in assists (177, third), points (411, fourth), goals (234, seventh), steals (160, ninth) and field blocks (31, ninth). He owns three of the top 11 single-season point totals in program history after increasing his output from 110 to 139 to 150 over his first three collegiate seasons.
Levai has been at his best in the postseason, earning All-MAWPC Championship recognition after each of his three trips there, including a Rookie of the Tournament nod in 2017.
Simonti joined the Buff and Blue prior to last season after two years at Orange Coast Community College and quickly established himself as one of the top defenders in the MAWPC. His 30 field blocks in 2019 equaled a program record, and he also nabbed 41 steals, in addition to posting 59 points via 40 goals and 19 assists.
This season, Simonti has kept up the defensive excellence, leading the squad in both field blocks (six) and steals (four) thus far.
GW allowed exactly eight goals in three of its four games. In a memorable debut, Castorina held Navy scoreless into the second quarter on Feb. 12 as part of a 15-save performance. The young netminder topped that mark with a career-high 17 stops vs. Bucknell last Saturday.
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION: GW played both Bucknell and La Salle last weekend at Navy, dropping an 8-7 decision to the Bison on Saturday before dispatching the Explorers, 9-8, the next day.
Ranked No. 9 in the latest CWPA national poll, Bucknell sits at 3-1 overall with narrow wins over both the Colonials and Explorers.
La Salle went 2-4 during the regular season with both victories coming vs. Iona.
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 bicentennialcelebration, 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.
Brent Stoll remains No. 2 on the GW men's water polo all-time scoring list after racking up 325 goals from 1994-97. The California native had his most prolific season in 1995 when he was named Team MVP after recording 111 goals (second-most in a single season in program history) and 35 assists over 21 games under Head Coach Andy Turnage.
The Buff and Blue secured the No. 2 seed for the revised three-team event and are set to face third-seeded La Salle at 11 a.m. with the winner advancing to face the host Bison in a 3:30 p.m. final.
The MAWPC champion will earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship, which will be hosted at USC's Uytengsu Aquatics Center in Los Angeles from March 18-21.
LAST TIME OUT: GW played three tight games vs. MAWPC opponents over two days at Navy last weekend, falling to No. 9 Navy and Bucknell before edging La Salle.
In the weekend finale, Andras Levai scored the go-ahead with 2:25 to go, and the Buff and Blue held off the Explorers from there for a 9-8 victory.
In recognition of his excellence in net throughout the weekend, Luca Castorina was honored as MAWPC Defensive Player of the Week. The rookie from Catania, Sicily, recorded 43 saves vs. 32 goals allowed over the three games, plus four steals and his first career assist.
Making his season debut, Levai powered the offense with seven goals and five assists.
CHAMPIONSHIP MEMORIES: GW has advanced to the MAWPC final in four straight seasons. After coming up short in 2016, the Buff and Blue claimed their first-ever conference title in 2017 and then repeated in 2018 before later adding their first NCAA victory to advance to the national quarterfinals.
In 2019, GW beat Johns Hopkins and Fordham to reach the final again, but they couldn't complete the three-peat, falling to host Bucknell, 9-4. It was the third time in four seasons that the title was decided between the Colonials and Bison.
SENIOR SHOUTOUT: GW seniors Levai (seven goals) and Gabriele Simonti (six) ranked first and tied for second on the squad, respectively, in scoring during the regular season, and both have posted career numbers to ensure their place in program history.
Levai was a key part of GW's MAWPC title runs in 2017 and 2018 before earning ACWPC All-American honors for the first time in 2019 after notching a team-leading 88 goals and 62 assists in 31 games.
The lefty from Budapest, Hungary, enters the MAWPC Championship ranked among the program's all-time top 10 in assists (177, third), points (411, fourth), goals (234, seventh), steals (160, ninth) and field blocks (31, ninth). He owns three of the top 11 single-season point totals in program history after increasing his output from 110 to 139 to 150 over his first three collegiate seasons.
Levai has been at his best in the postseason, earning All-MAWPC Championship recognition after each of his three trips there, including a Rookie of the Tournament nod in 2017.
Simonti joined the Buff and Blue prior to last season after two years at Orange Coast Community College and quickly established himself as one of the top defenders in the MAWPC. His 30 field blocks in 2019 equaled a program record, and he also nabbed 41 steals, in addition to posting 59 points via 40 goals and 19 assists.
This season, Simonti has kept up the defensive excellence, leading the squad in both field blocks (six) and steals (four) thus far.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS: GW's strength was in its defense during the truncated regular season, boosted by Castorina's .592 save percentage.As we head to the MAWPC Championship, our seniors Andras Levai and Gabriele Simonti share their favorite memories from their time in Buff & Blue. #RaiseHigh pic.twitter.com/o8OJPV0sfA
— GW Water Polo (@GW_WaterPolo) March 5, 2021
GW allowed exactly eight goals in three of its four games. In a memorable debut, Castorina held Navy scoreless into the second quarter on Feb. 12 as part of a 15-save performance. The young netminder topped that mark with a career-high 17 stops vs. Bucknell last Saturday.
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION: GW played both Bucknell and La Salle last weekend at Navy, dropping an 8-7 decision to the Bison on Saturday before dispatching the Explorers, 9-8, the next day.
Ranked No. 9 in the latest CWPA national poll, Bucknell sits at 3-1 overall with narrow wins over both the Colonials and Explorers.
La Salle went 2-4 during the regular season with both victories coming vs. Iona.
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
Brent Stoll remains No. 2 on the GW men's water polo all-time scoring list after racking up 325 goals from 1994-97. The California native had his most prolific season in 1995 when he was named Team MVP after recording 111 goals (second-most in a single season in program history) and 35 assists over 21 games under Head Coach Andy Turnage.
Players Mentioned
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