Vlassis Highlights Water Polo’s All-Conference Awards on First Team
11/20/2024 12:00:00 PM | Water Polo
Vlassis selected to First Team, Castorina and Sekulic placed on Second Team and Florena picked for Honorable Mention
WASHINGTON - The George Washington University water polo team had four student-athletes selected for the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference's (MAWPC) All-Conference awards. Junior defender Adonis Vlassis was picked to the MAWPC All-Conference First Team, while graduate goalkeeper Luca Castorina and senior attacker Andrija Sekulic were selected to the MAWPC All-Conference Second Team and first-year attacker Antonio Florena was chosen for the MAWPC All-Conference Honorable Mention Team.
Vlassis, a transfer from St. Francis (Brooklyn), was picked to the First Team in his first year as a Revolutionary after boosting the Buff & Blue attack all season. The Athens, Greece native finished first on the team in points with 89, goals with 69 and steals with 46. Vlassis was also the second-leading assist man in the regular season with 20 helpers, and he ranked in the top-five in exclusions drawn with 26. Vlassis, who earned MAWPC Player of the Week this season on Oct. 15, earned his first MAPWC All-Conference recognition in his first season in Foggy Bottom.
Castorina was selected to the MAWPC All-Conference Second Team after another season as GW's main man in net. The Catania, Sicily native made 257 saves throughout the regular season and posted a .479 save percentage. The goalkeeper also finished fourth on the team in both steals (16) and assists (16). Castorina was selected as the MAWPC Defensive Player of the Week twice this season, on Oct. 15 and Oct. 30, and has earned his fourth-consecutive MAWPC All-Conference Second Team selection.
Sekulic was a constant presence on GW's attack and earned the Second Team honor as a result. Sekulic closed the regular season second on GW in points with 88, just one behind Vlassis. The Belgrade, Serbia native led the Revolutionaries with 36 assists and finished second in goals scored with 52 conversions. Sekulic also added 40 exclusions drawn to his season ledger, the third most on the team, and he swiped 12 steals. This is Sekulic's first regular season All-Conference award, which he adds to his collection of MAWPC awards that includes a 2023 MAWPC All-Tournament Second Team honor.
Florena was chosen to the All-Conference Honorable Mention team after making a substantial impact in his first season in the Buff & Blue. Florena finished third on the team in goals with 46 and points with 16 as a first-year and closed the regular season fifth in assists with 14. The Napoli, Italy native also ranked highly in exclusions drawn (44) and steals (26), finishing second on the team in both categories. Florena earned his first MAWPC All-Conference award with his Honorable Mention Team selection.
GW's All-Conference student-athletes and the rest of the Revolutionaries go into the MAWPC Championship this weekend as the second seed with their eyes on the crown. Postseason action begins on Friday with a quarterfinal matchup vs. No. 7 Johns Hopkins in Annapolis Md. at Lejeune Hall.
