California Golden Bears Athletics
Photo by: Catharyn Hayne/klcfotos
Papanikolaou, Everist Repeat As National Winners
12/19/2022 11:53 AM | Men's Water Polo
Bears Place Five On ACWPC All-America Team, Including Three First Team Selections
After repeating as NCAA champions earlier this month, the Cal men's water polo team also swept the national postseason awards for the second consecutive year.
Center Nikolaos Papanikolaou has been named the ACWPC Player of the Year for the second year in a row while head coach Kirk Everist has been tabbed ACWPC Coach of the Year again as well.
The pair helped the Bears win the program's 16th national championship earlier this month in Berkeley, and second in succession.
Additionally, Papanikolaou, goalie Adrian Weinberg and attacker Max Casabella were named to the ACWPC All-America First Team while attackers Jack Deely and Roberto Valera were Third Team selections.
Papanikolaou and Everist's repeat performance mark just the second time ever that a player and coach have each won the national honor in concurrent back-to-back years, joining Guy Baker (Coach) and Matt Swanson (Player) of UCLA in 1995-96. Papanikolaou also becomes the seventh player in history to win the award in back-to-back seasons.
Papanikoalou, who also won the 2021 Cutino Award as the top player in NCAA water polo, led the Bears and ranked third in the MPSF this season with 62 goals while also pacing the conference with 80 earned exclusions. He put on one of the greatest performances in NCAA Championship history, scoring seven goals in the title game to lift the Bears to a 13-12 victory over USC.
Papanikolaou earned his fourth straight ACWPC All-American honor, including three consecutive years with a First Team nod.
Everist earned his fourth ACWPC National Coach of the Year honor after earlier becoming the first coach ever to be named MPSF Coach of the Year in three straight years. He won his fifth NCAA title as Cal's head coach, led the Bears to their third straight MPSF regular season championship and finished with a 23-2 record.
Weinberg recorded his third All-American selection and his initial First Team honor. After a summer playing with the U.S. National Team, he ranked second in the MPSF this season with 229 saves and fourth with 29 steals.
Casabella finished fourth in the MPSF with 61 goals and was third on the Bears with 17 steals. He scored four goals in Cal's NCAA semifinal win over Pacific and also had four in an overtime win over then-No. 1 UCLA during the regular season. Casabella also notched a career-high six goals in an overtime win over No. 6 Long Beach State.
Deely earned his third straight All-American honor after leading the MPSF in assists for the second straight season with 55. He also ranked fourth in the conference with 85 points.
Valera was sixth in the MPSF with 54 goals and seventh with 82 points. He also scored the game-winning goal in the Bears' victory over USC in the national title game.
Center Nikolaos Papanikolaou has been named the ACWPC Player of the Year for the second year in a row while head coach Kirk Everist has been tabbed ACWPC Coach of the Year again as well.
The pair helped the Bears win the program's 16th national championship earlier this month in Berkeley, and second in succession.
Additionally, Papanikolaou, goalie Adrian Weinberg and attacker Max Casabella were named to the ACWPC All-America First Team while attackers Jack Deely and Roberto Valera were Third Team selections.
Papanikolaou and Everist's repeat performance mark just the second time ever that a player and coach have each won the national honor in concurrent back-to-back years, joining Guy Baker (Coach) and Matt Swanson (Player) of UCLA in 1995-96. Papanikolaou also becomes the seventh player in history to win the award in back-to-back seasons.
Papanikoalou, who also won the 2021 Cutino Award as the top player in NCAA water polo, led the Bears and ranked third in the MPSF this season with 62 goals while also pacing the conference with 80 earned exclusions. He put on one of the greatest performances in NCAA Championship history, scoring seven goals in the title game to lift the Bears to a 13-12 victory over USC.
Papanikolaou earned his fourth straight ACWPC All-American honor, including three consecutive years with a First Team nod.
Everist earned his fourth ACWPC National Coach of the Year honor after earlier becoming the first coach ever to be named MPSF Coach of the Year in three straight years. He won his fifth NCAA title as Cal's head coach, led the Bears to their third straight MPSF regular season championship and finished with a 23-2 record.
Weinberg recorded his third All-American selection and his initial First Team honor. After a summer playing with the U.S. National Team, he ranked second in the MPSF this season with 229 saves and fourth with 29 steals.
Casabella finished fourth in the MPSF with 61 goals and was third on the Bears with 17 steals. He scored four goals in Cal's NCAA semifinal win over Pacific and also had four in an overtime win over then-No. 1 UCLA during the regular season. Casabella also notched a career-high six goals in an overtime win over No. 6 Long Beach State.
Deely earned his third straight All-American honor after leading the MPSF in assists for the second straight season with 55. He also ranked fourth in the conference with 85 points.
Valera was sixth in the MPSF with 54 goals and seventh with 82 points. He also scored the game-winning goal in the Bears' victory over USC in the national title game.
Players Mentioned
ATT
/ Men's Water Polo
UTIL
/ Men's Water Polo
C
/ Men's Water Polo
ATT
/ Men's Water Polo
GK
/ Men's Water PoloThursday, October 05
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Thursday, June 23
