LA JOLLA, Calif. - Former UC San Diego water polo standouts Matt Michalko, Cameron Ravanbach, Josh Stiling and Lukas Syka are taking their talents to the next level, playing professionally in Europe. Stiling, Ravanbach and Michalko were All-Americans while competing for the Tritons.
“This foursome is the most former Tritons we've had playing prefessionally at one time,” said UCSD head coach Denny Harper, who mentored them during their time on the La Jolla campus. “I personally think that it is indicative of how good our teams have been over the last three years. It is super exciting that they're playing literally at an Olympic level.”
Stiling signed with Club Natació Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain, of the Liga Nacional Division d'Honor, the top water polo league in the country. He also received an offer from Panathinaikos in Greece. Stiling helped CN Catalunya to a 9-8 win over CW Navarra in his first game.
During his time at UCSD, Stiling was a two-time Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) Player of the Year, Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) All-American and Player of the Year. He currently sits eighth in all-time goals scored with 188.
“The experience here has been everything I wanted and more,” Stiling commented. “Barcelona is an amazing city. The level of play here is also very good. The Spanish players aren't necessarily that big, but they are very quick and have a good understanding of the game.
"It's been a challenge communicating since I'm not very good at Spanish, so I have to be listening very carefully for play calls and communication from my teammates. I've been studying Spanish every day though, so hopefully this gets easier over time.”
Michalko, Ravanbach and Syka are playing in Germany for SSV Esslingen, located just outside of Stuttgart, in the Deutsche Wasserball Liga (DWL), the premier water polo association of the country.
SSV Esslingen competed in the prestigious LEN Euro Cup in Budapest, Hungary. The team matched up against some of the top competition in the world including Hungarian powers Ferencváros and Szeged, Italy's Acquachiara and Jadran Split from reigning Olympic champion Croatia.
In its final match at the LEN Euro Cup, SSV Esslingen defeated VK Primorac Kotor from Montenegro, 13-9, behind Ravanbach's stellar goaltending, physical center play from Michalko and two goals from Syka. The experienced Montenegrin club is the former team of four-time Olympian and Team USA team captain Tony Azevedo, as well as three-time Olympic gold medalist and Hungarian superstar Gergely Kiss.
Michalko was an ACWPC All-American and a two-time All-WWPA honoree at UCSD. He totaled 154 ejections drawn, sixth most all-time.
“During the regular season, we will compete in the DWL, which consists of 16 teams across Germany. During Euro Cup, we will have the unique opportunity to compete against teams from the host nation (Hungary), Italy, France and Croatia,” Michalko explained. “It will be a challenge for our young group, but it will be a good experience for us to grow and prepare for the domestic season. It will also be a chance to explore what is arguably the water polo capital of the world, Budapest!”
“The teams we played were really amazing," said Syka, who was an All-WWPA Honorable Mention honoree as a Triton. "Cameron, Matt and I were forced to adjust to the level and style of play. The tournament itself was a challenging and eye-opening experience, but one we are excited to continue!”
Ravanbach was a three-time First Team All-WWPA honoree and two-time ACWPC All-American and left UCSD with the second most all-time saves with 863, occupying the first and third slots for single-season saves with 306 and 299, respectively.
“The club we play for is one of the oldest in the region with over 3,000 members, so similar to UCSD, we expect to have a lot of fans at the games,” commented Ravanbach. “The water polo here is played at a very high level. We have three German National Team members including Heiko Nossek, a two-time Olympian who possesses one of the best shots I have ever seen.”
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