SAN FRANCISCO – Another standout season helped Cal men's water polo senior Johnny Hooper put the finishing touches on a legendary collegiate career and earned him a spot among the nation's elite as he has been named a finalist for the prestigious Peter J. Cutino Award presented by the Olympic Club of San Francisco.

Hooper is one of three players to earn the finalist distinction, joining Stanford's Ben Hallock and UCLA's Alex Wolf. Cal's Luca Cupido won the award for the 2017 season, joining fellow Golden Bears John Mann (2006) and Ivan Rackov (2010) as recipients of the award named after legendary Cal coach Pete Cutino.

After missing the first nine games of the season to compete for Team USA in international competition, Hooper returned to Berkeley and picked up right where he left off. The Los Angeles, Calif. native led the MPSF in goals per game with 3.27 and finished the year with 49 goals, 48 assists, 39 steals and 26 ejections earned in only 15 games played.

Those numbers put Hooper in lofty company when it comes to Cal history. With 245 career goals, he ranks second to only Chris Humbert on the school's all-time scoring list. He is a four-time All-MPSF selection and has earned All-America honors three times with this year's list yet to be announced. He is also a member of the prestigious Haas School of Business and is on track to graduate with a degree in Business Administration.

In the midst of his Cal success, Hooper has also established himself as a valuable contributor on the international stage. He spent the entire summer of 2018 competing for Team USA and finished that stretch off as a member of the United States team at the FINA World Cup. One year earlier, he led the team in scoring at the FINA World League Super Final and competed at the FINA World Championships.

The 2018-19 Peter J. Cutino Award will be presented on June 1 in San Francisco.