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Seven water polo student-athletes headline 16 Tigers named all-conference

water polo player

Bogdan Djerkovic

All seven starters for the No. 6 ranked Pacific men’s water polo team (21-6, 4-1) earned recognition from the Golden Coast Conference as all-conference competitors, the most honorees since the Tigers joined the GCC in 2016. 

They were part of an impressive showing in fall sports which saw 16 Tigers honored by various conferences with all-league honors.

"The breadth of these awards is a strong representation of the commitment and hard work of our student-athletes," said Director of Athletics Janet Lucas. "Their united sense of purpose around creating a first-class team culture while representing competitive excellence is instrumental to their success."

James Graham, head coach of the men’s water polo team, said he is “extremely proud” of his student-athletes.

”These are well deserved honors. It’s a testament to their hard work and dedication over the last year to adapt and develop their games,” said Graham, who also was named Golden Coast Conference coach of the year.

Sophomore Reuel D’Souza, senior Bogdan Djerkovic and graduate student Bae Fountain earned first-team GCC All-Conference honors. 

Senior Jeremie Cote and sophomore Mihailo Vukazic were named to the second team. Senior Matthew Hosmer and senior Djordje Stanic earned honorable mention recognition. 

Men’s water polo is the only fall sport that has a post-season conference tournament, which the Tigers won to earn the NCAA postseason berth. Three Tigers were named to the all-tournament team: Stanic, D’Souza and Djerkovic. Djerkovic also was named the tournament MVP.

Women’s volleyball (16-13, 8-10) finished tied for fifth in the West Coast Conference race. With the top four teams earning NCAA Tournament berths, the Tigers picked up the automatic bid to the National Volleyball Invitational Championship for the second consecutive year. 

Newcomer Biamba Kabengele was a West Coast Conference First-Team All-Conference honoree. Teammates Alexa Edwards and Jadyn Tubbs earned honorable mention honors. Tubbs, who was the 2021 West Coast Conference Libero of the Year, was honored by the coaches even though injuries limited her to eight of the 15 conference matches. 

The Pacific’s women’s soccer team (7-3-10, 2-3-4) had four student-athletes earn all-conference honors. Senior Jenae Packard was named to the West Coast Conference second team. She tallied four goals with six assists on the season. 

Senior goalkeeper Brenna Crump, senior Camryn Scully and senior Jaida Nyby were honorable mention selections by the West Coast Conference. The women’s soccer program finished with just three losses and was undefeated in its 11 non-conference contests (5-0-6), including a win over Santa Clara, the eventual league champion. 

“It is so cool when four of our players are recognized for their play this season,” said Danesha Adams, co-head coach for the women’s program with J.J. Wozniak. “It indicates that our program is on the rise and heading in a positive direction.”

The men’s soccer team (3-12-2, 2-4-1) had two student-athletes honored after finishing sixth in the eight-team West Coast Conference. Senior midfielder Ryan Her and senior forward Samuel Saiz Herraiz were both named to the West Coast Conference second team by the coaches.

Her, who was also an all-conference player a year ago, led the team in scoring with five goals. Saiz Herraiz was one of three players to start all 17 games and led the team in shots with 31. 

“Both Ryan and Samuel are the true definition of team players. Throughout a difficult season, they always gave their all for the team,” said Head Coach Adam Reeves.