Sept. 4, 2002

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Ahead for the Cardinal... The 2001 NCAA Champion Cardinal squad returns to action this weekend with the season opener on Sunday. The College Water Polo Association poll named the defending champs No. 1 in the country in its first poll of the season. Stanford begins its 2002 campaign with a scrimmage day on Saturday and the home opener the following day against UC Santa Cruz. Game time is set for noon as the Banana Slugs (ranked ninth in the Division III poll) begin their season at The Farm.

Head Coaching Debut... The fourth head coach in Stanford men's water polo history, John Vargas, will make his collegiate debut this weekend. The former Corona del Mar High School and U.S. Olympic coach guided Stanford to a third place finish at the 2002 Men's Senior Nationals this summer - the highest finish for any college team. His Corona del Mar teams captured four Southern Section CIF 4A championships (1985, 1987, 1988, 1989) and three Southern Section Division II championships (1999, 2000, 2001) during his tenure.

Senior Sensations... Despite losing some key players from the 2001 squad, the Cardinal return four important seniors, including two All-Americans. Goalkeeper Nick Ellis has earned All-America honors in each of his previous three seasons and he notched 168 saves in his 22 appearances during his junior year. On the offensive side of the pool, the Cardinal returns Peter Hudnut and Jeff Nesmith, who both spent the earlier part of the year with the U.S. Men's Senior National team (along with sophomore Tony Azevedo). Hudnut and Nesmith each tallied 24 goals during their junior seasons. The fourth senior in the mix is All-American swimmer Jeff Guyman who chalked up 10 goals during the 2001 season, including one goal in the NCAA semifinal victory over 12th-ranked UMass.

Junior Jargon... Stanford returns Mike Derse in the field, who contributed six goals in a reserve role for the Cardinal in 2001. He will be joined by two redshirts, Ben Howard and Trent Wiesen. Howard returns to the squad after a one year hiatus and Wiesen rejoins Stanford after a medical redshirt last season.

Sophomore Saga... The Cardinal has a strong and deep sophomore class that is led by 2000 Olympian Tony Azevedo. Azevedo spent the summer with seniors Peter Hudnut and Jeff Nesmith on the U.S. Men's Senior National Team, where he led the team in scoring throughout the summer. In 2001 he scored 68 goals en route to his first NCAA Championship and was named the NCAA Player of the Year. Matt Moser will contribute heavily on offense this season. Moser notched two goals last year. Three of the Cardinal's 2-meter defenders are in this class and will be expected to make an immediate impact: Greg Crum (who put up five goals last year), Reed Gallogly (who notched one goal and also posted two saves in his one appearance at goalkeeper in 2001) and Sam Tyre (who added two goals during his freshman year).

Freshmen Facts... The Cardinal bring in seven newcomers and welcome back three redshirt freshmen for the 2002 season. With 10 freshmen on the roster, the youngest team members will be expected to contribute immediately. Two incoming freshmen, Thomas Hopkins and Peter Varellas, spent the summer with the U.S. Junior Men's National Team that claimed the silver medal at the Junior Pan-American Games in August.