BERKELEY - With just over a week remainiing until the 2017 season opener in San Diego, the Cal men's water polo team learned Wednesday that it will be led by two players who for three years have played a key role both in and out of the pool with head coach Kirk Everist's announcement that seniors Pedro Stellet and Luca Cupido will serve as team captains for the upcoming campaign.

Stellet will serve as a team captain for the second year in a row and the honor is much deserved for the native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. After helping the Bears return to the NCAA Tournament in 2015, Stellet assumed the role of captain before his junior season and was an instrumental contributor as the 2016 team claimed the 14th national title in program history with a win over USC in the NCAA title game.

Cupido will serve as captain for the first time as a senior but leadership has already been evident on both the collegiate and international stages throughout his career. Unquestionably one of the nation's top players throughout his career at Cal, Cupido's team-first approach was especially apparent in the late stages of the 2016 season when he filled a variety of roles, including two-meter defender, to help the Bears win the national title. As a member of Team USA, the 2016 Olympian has emerged as a mainstay in the national player pool as he has competed regularly for his country throughout his time at Cal.

"Pedro did an excellent job last year as team captain," Everist said. "He has a tremendous heart and the team feeds off his energy. Luca obviously has so much experience and has grown into a team leader this year. I am confident that they will be a great team setting the standard for the this year's group." 

Stellet and Cupido will lead an experienced bunch of Bears this season as Cal will feature six key seniors on the roster. Additionally, Cal returns two of the nation's top juniors in All-Americans Johnny Hooper and Odysseas Masmanidis and both spent the summer playing internationally. The 2017 season gets started on Sept. 2 and 3 when the Bears compete in the Triton Invitational hosted by UC San Diego.