Men's Water Polo | December 17, 2018

After a thrilling run to the 2018 NCAA Championship, the USC men's water polo team has landed a program-record 10 All-Americans along with head coach Jovan Vavic's 15th selection as the National Coach of the Year, as announced today (Dec. 17) by the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches. It's a 2018 sweep for Vavic, who also was named the National Coach of the Year with the USC women — his sixth on the women's side — before locking up this ninth honor on the men's side. He helmed an incredible group of Trojans, with a balanced roster whose depth is reflected in the selection of 10 Trojans to All-America teams. Two newcomers —freshman Hannes Daube and sophomore transfer Jacob Mercep — stand tall on the All-America First Team. Another youthful pairing is slated with Second Team honors in freshman goalie Nic Porter and sophomore Marko Vavic, who is now a two-time All-American. The only other repeat All-American on the honor roll this year is junior Matt Maier, now a three-time All-American as he is joined on the All-America Third Team by senior Zach D'Sa. Another set of first-time honorees round out the record-setting group, with four Trojans — junior Marin Dasic, freshman Jake Ehrhardt, sophomore Sawyer Rhodes and redshirt junior Sam Slobodien — earning All-America Honorable Mention.

Jovan Vavic increased his collection of national championship trophies to 16 in guiding the USC men to their 10th title this season. The Trojans posted their first-ever 30-win season in going 30-3 overall and making that championship run to the 2018 NCAA crown in USC's 14th consecutive appearance in an NCAA final. Vavic now boasts a 575-91 (.863) career record in his 25 seasons with the USC men, and he now has his ninth pick as the 2018 National Men's Coach of the Year to grip a grand total of 15 after getting his sixth on the women's side just seven months ago.
 
In barely five months as Trojans, Hannes Daube and Jacob Mercep have already etched their names in the USC history books as national champions and First Team All-Americans. A true freshman, Hannes Daube was named the MPSF Newcomer of the Year and to the All-MPSF First Team, while also racking up four MPSF Newcomer of the Week awards. He wrapped the year as USC's second leading scorer with 58 goals, including 29 against top-five opponents. He delivered a hat trick in USC's 8-7 win over UCLA in the NCAA semifinals, and would go on to land a spot on the NCAA All-Tournament First Team after punching up his 58th goal of the year in the national championship game. Also in his first year as a Trojan, sophomore transfer Jacob Mercep was another fresh force to reckon with. He finished up the year with a team-high 62 goals, topping things off with a five-goal explosion in the national championship game to net NCAA Tournament MVP honors. Mercep scored 27 goals against top-five opponents in 2018 while also joining Daube on the All-MPSF First Team. He was the MPSF Player of the Week on October 15, and also was named to the MPSF all-Tournament Team. A transfer from San José State, Mercep earned All-America Honorable Mention last year before this significant bump to First Team honors as a Trojan.
 
After a summer of squaring off as adversaries for their respective national teams, Aussie goalie Nic Porter and Team USA's Marko Vavic found themselves to be tight teammates as Trojans, and now also share honors as All-America Second Team selections. Freshman Porter established himself as USC's top gun in goal. He'd make 12 big stops in the cage during USC's NCAA Championship victory, notching his sixth game with double-digit saves in his first season as a Trojan. He averaged 9.8 saves and 7.5 goals-against per game in his freshman campaign, while picking up NCAA All-Tournament Second Team honors along with All-MPSF Honorable Mention and a set of four MPSF Newcomer of the Week picks. Sophomore Vavic has secured his second All-American nod, having been a First Team honoree as a freshman. Vavic piled up 57 goals in 2018 to bump his career count to 108. That's the most goals ever recorded by a USC true sophomore, and lodges him at No. 34 all-time on USC career scoring list. Also this year, Vavic was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team and was on the All-MPSF Second Team in his sophomore season.
 
Meanwhile, two Trojan captains have landed on the All-America Third Team, as senior Zach D'Sa pockets his first-ever All-American honor and junior Matt Maier hauls in his third. Both veterans significantly increased their scoring output from 2017 to 2018. D'Sa, in his final year at Troy, went out with a bang, drumming up 42 goals to finish out his career with 98. D'Sa also earned All-MPSF Honorable Mention. Maier came back from hip surgeries and exploded with 36 goals in his junior campaign, including goals in both the NCAA semifinal and final. An All-America Honorable Mention pick in 2016 and 2017, he's upgraded his status to Third Team this year to go along with his All-MPSF Second Team selection.
 
USC's representation on the All-America Honorable Mention list is glaringly reflective of the balance on the 2018 Trojan roster. Two veterans — junior Marin Dasic and redshirt junior Sam Slobodien — have their first All-America nods, and are joined by two Trojan newcomers and first-time All-Americans in freshman Jake Ehrhardt and sophomore transfer Sawyer Rhodes. A captain, Dasic churned out a season-best 35 goals in 2018 to bump his career count to 92 in this seasons of work at USC. He was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Second Team and earned All-MPSF Honorable Mention as well. Slobodien, who delivered the game-winner with just seconds to go in the NCAA semifinal, also set a new season best for himself in tearing off 36 goals in his third season of action. He scored 10 goals against top-five opponents, including two big ones in the national championship game. He'd be named to the NCAA All-Tournament Second Team for the first accolade of his USC career before this first All-America pick. True freshman Ehrhardt's defensive savvy paired well with his scoring prowess, as he dished out 31 goals on the year, including the finishing touch in the NCAA final. This All-America Honorable Mention is the first award of his Trojan career. Transfer Rhodes rebounded from early-season injury and established himself as a force as a Trojan, nabbing steals and serving up 25 goals to help lock in his first All-America honor. Rhodes scored twice at the NCAA Tournament to keep USC on track to its 10th title.

With 10 All-Americans this year, USC beats out its previous program record of eight All-Americans, last hit in 2015. With D'Sa as the only graduating member of this year's All-American class, the Trojans are set to bring back nine All-Americans in 2019, when they take aim at an 11th NCAA title on the men's side of the game.

USC's accomplishments in the pool this year — a 2018 sweep of the women's and men's national championships — mark the third time in history that Trojan teams have won titles in the same calendar year. What's more, this 2018 title comes in the 20th anniversary year of USC's first-ever national championship, which was won with Jovan Vavic at the helm and now co-head coach Marko Pintaric in the pool back in 1998.


USC's 2018 ACWPC MEN'S ALL-AMERICA AWARDS

National Coach of the Year: 
Jovan Vavic

First Team:
Hannes Daube
Jacob Mercep

Second Team:
Nic Porter
Marko Vavic

Third Team:
Zach D'Sa
Matt Maier

Honorable Mention:
Marin Dasic
Jake Ehrhardt
Sawyer Rhodes
Sam Slobodien