LA JOLLA, Calif. ? Head coach Denny Harper of the UC San Diego men's water polo team announced the signing of seven recruits to National Letters of Intent. The group includes three high school seniors and four junior college transfers, who will compete with the nationally ranked Tritons in the 2009 campaign. JC transfers William Brown, Kuba Bednarek, Dan Biag and Ryan Allred will be joined by incoming freshmen Brian Donohoe, John Butler and Andrew Lighterink. “This is a fantastic group of young men who not only have great water polo skills but also possess great character and leadership qualities,” said head coach Denny Harper. “We all feel very fortunate to have signed this group to continue their athletic and academic careers here at UC San Diego”.
The class will join seven Triton seniors returning in 2009. UCSD finished 10th in the nation in 2008, earning a spot in the Western Water Polo Association Championship game.
William Brown comes to UCSD from Mount Sac JC and Arcadia HS. He was first team all-conference at Mt. Sac. and earned first-team all-league in HS. During his senior HS year, Brown was also named First-Team All-CIF.
“Will has the potential to be the next great lefty playing at the elite NCAA level. I am looking for him to make an immediate contribution, especially at the offensive end of the pool,” said Harper.
Kuba Bednarek transfers to the La Jolla campus from Golden West JC. Bednarek began his water polo career in Poland where he played on the Polish Junior National Team (2005-07) and went to the European Junior Championships in 2006.
“Every team needs a defensive, hard nosed type of player and Kuba fits that role perfectly for us. His counter attack mentality will be infectious to the rest of the players and make it difficult to keep him out of the line up,” said Harper.
Brian Donohoe comes to UCSD from Damien HS and is the younger brother of All-American Steven Donohoe, also on the UCSD roster for 2009. Brian Donohoe completed an outstanding career at Damien HS with 279 goals, 203 assists and 199 steals. He helped lead Damien to four straight undefeated conference championships. Numerous honors included All-CIF and Sierra League MVP while also one of eight Valedictorians.
“We are all very excited about the future for Brian. His accomplishments to date are exceptional and he will be counted on as a freshman to make a strong contribution right away and make a big splash at the next level. As a freshman, he may be one of the best pure shooters in our program,” continued Harper.
John Butler joins the Triton family from St. Ignatius HS. Butler was a four-year starter, being named the team MVP in his final two seasons. Butler earned WCAL All-Conference for three years and set the school record for goals in a conference season. He also earned All-American honorable mention honors with the 2008 junior Olympic team.
“John is a classic gem in the rough. While he was recruited by other schools it became clear to him that our program is a perfect fit. Like Brian, even though he is a freshman I'm certain he will earn valuable minutes for us,” said Harper.
Andrew Lighterink comes to the La Jolla campus after being named the Palomar League Player of the Year as a goalie at Torrey Pines HS. He also earned All-Palomar League and All-CIF honors. Lighterink also participated on the USA Cadet National Travel Team.
“The signing of Andrew helped complete this years recruiting class. He had many other options but in the end decided UCSD was the place for him. He will certainly challenge for playing time in the cage and has a very bright future ahead of him”.
Dan Biag comes to UCSD from Cerritos JC and Cerritos HS. At Cerritos JC, Biag was a first-team All-American, first-team All South Coast Conference and Offensive Player of the Year. In high school, Biag also earned All-American honors, along with League and Team MVP and the CIF Player of the Year (D6).
“Dan is a very talented player who will keep us on top as a program that traditionally is one of the top scoring programs in the nation. He is a very enthusiastic player who I believe will bring just the right amount of emotion to play this game at a very high level”.
Ryan Allred comes to UCSD from Mount Sac JC and Bonita HS. At Mt. Sac, Allred earned all-conference and All-Southern California All-American honors. He also led Mt. Sac to its first ever conference championship. In high school he was all-league and CIF, including the Co-San Gabriel Valley Player of the Year (Steven Donohoe) as the team won the CIF title.
“Ryan is an extremely experienced player who will bring stability and leadership to our program immediately. I expect great things from him right away in all aspects of the game,” said Harper.
The UC San Diego men's water polo team returns to competition for the annual Triton Invitational in early September.
