2021 AWARD WINNERS | 2021 GCC CHAMPIONSHIPS | 2021 SCHEDULE/RESULTS
After leading Long Beach State to an unbeaten record in Golden Coast Conference action to secure the regular season championship, Rafael Real Vergara is the GCC Player of the Year as the GCC announced its 2021 men's water polo postseason honors. All individual awards and the All-GCC teams were voted on solely by the Conference's six coaches.
The sophomore Vergara leads the GCC in goals with 63 and is fourth in total points with 82 as he leads the Beach into the upcoming GCC Men's Championships as the top-seed. Joining him as an individual award winner is Pacific's Reuel D'Souza as the GCC Newcomer of the Year. D'Souza is seventh in the GCC in assists with 27 and is second on the team with 52 total points, adding 25 goals in his first season with the Tigers.
Vergara is also on the seven-member All-GCC First-Team. He is joined by teammate junior Garrett Zaan, Pacific juniors Jeremie Cote and Bogdan Djerkovic, San Jose State senior goalie Yahav Fire, Pepperdine senior Balazs Kosa, and UC Santa Barbara junior Sawyer Rhodes.
The freshman D'Souza is one of seven members of the All-GCC Second-Team. Also earning second-team honors is Long Beach State's sophomore goalie Andrej Bosanac and junior Matt Morris; UC Santa Barbara's senior Cole Brosnan, junior Sam Nangle and senior Leo Yuno; and UC Irvine's Casey Lynton.
Earning Honorable Mention honors are Pepperdine's senior Sean Ferrari, senior Nicholas Fichman and sophomore Nico Tierney; UC Irvine's sophomore Harrison Land and senior Zlatan Nikocevic; and San Jose State freshman Bende Pardi.
Rounding out the honors for 2021 is the GCC All-Freshman team, which inclues Long Beach State's Evan Cain, Pacific's D'Souza, UCSB's Adam Gyenis, the Beach's Alika Naone, UCI's Tyler Padua, the Spartans' Pardi and Pacific's Mihalio Vukazic.
The 2021 GCC Men's Championships begin on Friday, Nov. 19 with two first round games at UC Irvine's Anteater Aquatics Complex. The tournament runs through Sunday, Nov. 21 with the championship game at 2 pm. Get more information at our Tournament Central.