Sept. 11, 2002
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Stanford, Calif. -
Ahead for the Cardinal...
The Cardinal head south for the weekend, with a match on Friday afternoon against No. 10 UC San Diego followed by the SoCal Tournament on Saturday and Sunday. No. 1 Stanford will take on No. 6 Long Beach State in the first game on Saturday and will face the UCSD Tritons for the second time. The twelve team field includes the entire CWPA Top 10 and will ensure many exciting early season matchups. The UCSD-Stanford games will have a family feel with three sets of brothers on opposing sidelines. Stanford GK Nick Ellis will see brother Max in a utility role, while Cardinal freshman phenom Thomas Hopkins will face older brother Jonathan and assistant coach Brian Kreutzkamp can find brother Brad assisting the Tritons.
Head Coaching Debut...
The fourth head coach in Stanford men's water polo history, John Vargas, made his collegiate debut this past weekend as the Cardinal downed UC Santa Cruz 21-5. 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 and put up four goals in the opening game of the 2002 season. He will be joined by redshirt Trent Wiesen who rejoins Stanford after a medical redshirt last season. Wiesen earned playing time against the Banana Slugs and will be expected to contribute throughout the 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 and already chalked up four this season in the first match. Also stepping up for the Cardinal will be Greg Crum who notched 3 goals against UCSC and Reed Gallogly who added two goals in the season opener.
Freshmen Facts...
The Cardinal bring in seven newcomers and welcome back three redshirt freshmen for the 2002 season. With 10 freshmen on the roster, many of the youngest team members will be expected to contribute immediately. Redshirt freshman Chad Taylor spent the second half in goal and recorded three saves in his first collegiate appearance. Another redshirt Ryan Caswell notched the first goal of his career against UCSC. 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. Hopkins started for the Cardinal in the first game and put up three goals and Varellas added valuable time in the field.
