California Golden Bears Athletics

BERKELEY – Hard work both in and out of the pool continues to translate to accolades and awards for the Cal men's water polo team as the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) announced Friday that nine Golden Bears have earned All-Academic honors for the 2017 season.

Sophomore Mikey Williams headlined Cal's list of high achievers in the classroom as the defender was recognized for carrying a 3.52 cumulative GPA. Senior Luca Cupido, who just a few weeks earlier earned the MPSF Player of the Year award as the conference's top player, earned his third conference academic honor with a 3.47 GPA.

Spencer Farrar (3.44) and Safak Simsek (3.42) were recognized in their first year of eligibility while Johnny Hooper (3.12), Nicholas Carniglia (3.12), Pedro Stellet (3.07), Vassilis Tzavaras (3.06) and Jordan Hoover (3.00) joined their teammates on the list. To receive an MPSF All-Academic award, a student-athlete must carry a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, be at least a sophomore academically, complete one full academic year at the institution and compete in 50 percent of his team's games.

While the MPSF recognized athletes based on their cumulative GPAs, head coach Kirk Everist added to his team's academic laurels by announcing the Bears' Academic Starting Seven. The list recognizes the team's top seven GPA earners each semester and is among the most important honors the team bestows as it recognizes the efforts of the entire squad when it comes to achievement in the classroom.

Sophomore Gianni Taranto, who has been a mainstay on Cal's Academic Starting Seven over the past few seasons, led the Bears in the classroom this fall with a team-high 3.88 GPA. Freshman Kellan Grant checked in at 3.79 while Farrar achieved a mark of 3.7 in his second year in Berkeley.

Cupido continued his outstanding scholastic work with a 3.67 GPA and redshirt freshman Cade Kruse tied Cupido with a 3.67 GPA of his own. Freshman Cameron Wright got his college career off to a good start by earning a 3.58 GPA in his first semester at Cal and sophomores Bernardo Carelli and Safak Simsek tied for the final spot on the list with a 3.5.