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2021: Season In Review

by gostanford.com
Apr 6, 2022

STANFORD, Calif. - After already playing a condensed season in the spring of 2021 due to COVID-19 rescheduling, Stanford played another full season in the fall, finishing 19-6 overall and advancing to the MPSF championship game.

The Cardinal started the year 12-0 and didn't lose a single game to a team outside the MPSF, finishing its campaign at No. 4 in the country. Stanford's biggest win of the season came in the MPSF semifinals as the Cardinal defeated No. 1 California at home in overtime, 12-11.

ACWPC All-Americans
For the fifth season in a row, at least three Cardinal earned All-America honors from The Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC).

AJ Rossman earned a spot on the first team, Tyler Abramson on the second team, while Nolan Krutonog and Quinn Woodhead both were named honorable mention. Abramson finished his Stanford career as a four-time All-American, while Rossman and Woodhead both became three-time honorees. The honor for Krutonog was his first.

Individual Leaders
Tyler Abramson led Stanford in scoring for the second season in a row, scoring 52 goals, good for second in the MPSF. He became the 15th in program history to earn All-America honors four times. Abramson finished his career on The Farm with 207 career goals, good for sixth all time.

Quinn Woodhead (45), Beck Jurasius (37), Walker Seymour (37), AJ Rossman (32) and Larsen Weigle (32) also notched at least 30 goals on the year, helping the Cardinal score 349 times in the fall. Nolan Krutonog was Stanford's primary goalkeeper, starting all but two games between the pipes. He finished with 201 saves on the year, ranking second in the MPSF, averaging nearly 10 a game, with a goals against average just above nine.

Academic Success
Stanford was honored with 15 MPSF All-Academic Scholar-Athletes, comprising nearly its entire roster of eligible student-athletes who practiced and competed during the 2021 fall season. Additionally, 14 from Stanford earned All-Academic honors from the ACWPC.

History Lesson 
The Cardinal has made 34 all-time NCAA appearances and owns 11 NCAA titles in school history (2019, 2002, 2001, 1994, 1993, 1986, 1985, 1981, 1980, 1978, 1976), including winning back-to-back NCAA championships four times. Stanford owns eight MPSF titles (1994, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2020) and is the only school to ever win three in a row.

Hall of Famer
Stanford legend Tony Azevedo was honored several times in the last calendar year, being inducted in the U.S. Water Polo Hall of Fame and the Pac-12 Hall of Honor.

Thank You, Coach Vargas
After 20 seasons at the helm of the Cardinal, John Vargas announced his retirement in February. Owning a career record of 389-117, the second-most wins of any coach in program history, Vargas guided Stanford to the 2002 and 2019 NCAA championships, while making appearances in seven total championship games and 10 NCAA tournaments overall. He directed the Cardinal to 20 or more wins 11 different times, including the winningest season in 20 years with a 26-4 campaign in 2014. Stanford claimed five MPSF titles under Vargas, including a conference-record three straight from 2018-20.

Welcome, Coach Flacks
Stanford hired Vargas' successor in March, announcing the arrival of Brian Flacks. Becoming the fifth head coach in the history of the program, Flacks arrives on The Farm with over a decade of coaching experience at both the prep and national team levels. He has served as the Aquatic Director and Head Boys' Coach at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles since 2011 and is the current Head Coach of the United States U-18 National Youth Team, while serving as an assistant for the senior men's national team. 

Honor Roll 

  • Tyler Abramson
    • ACWPC Second-Team All-American
    • All-MPSF First Team
    • MPSF All-Tournament Team
    • ACWPC All-Academic – Superior
    • MPSF All-Academic Scholar-Athlete
    • Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll
  • Andrew Churukian
    • ACWPC All-Academic – Outstanding
    • MPSF All-Academic Scholar-Athlete
    • Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll
  • Troy Gleason
    • ACWPC All-Academic – Superior
    • MPSF All-Academic Scholar-Athlete
    • Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll
  • Liam Harrison
    • ACWPC All-Academic – Superior
  • Soren Jensen
    • MPSF All-Academic Scholar-Athlete
  • Beck Jurasius
    • All-MPSF Honorable Mention
    • MPSF Player of the Week (Sept. 6)
    • ACWPC All-Academic – Superior
    • MPSF All-Academic Scholar-Athlete
    • Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll
  • Parker Killion
    • ACWPC All-Academic – Outstanding
    • MPSF All-Academic Scholar-Athlete
    • Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll
  • Nolan Krutonog
    • ACWPC Honorable Mention All-American
    • ACWPC All-Academic – Superior
    • MPSF All-Academic Scholar-Athlete
    • Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll
  • Ike Love
    • ACWPC All-Academic – Superior
    • MPSF All-Academic Scholar-Athlete
    • Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll
  • Spencer Nelson
    • MPSF All-Academic Scholar-Athlete
  • Jackson Painter
    • ACWPC All-Academic – Outstanding
    • MPSF All-Academic Scholar-Athlete
    • Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll
  • Riley Pittman
    • ACWPC All-Academic – Outstanding
    • MPSF All-Academic Scholar-Athlete
    • Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll
  • AJ Rossman
    • ACWPC First-Team All-American
    • All-MPSF First Team
    • MPSF All-Tournament Team
    • ACWPC All-Academic – Outstanding
    • MPSF All-Academic Scholar-Athlete
    • Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll
  • Walker Seymour
    • ACWPC All-Academic – Excellent
    • MPSF All-Academic Scholar-Athlete
    • Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll
  • Larsen Weigle
    • ACWPC All-Academic – Outstanding
    • MPSF All-Academic Scholar-Athlete
    • Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll
  • Quinn Woodhead
    • ACWPC All-America Honorable Mention
    • All-MPSF Second Team
    • MPSF Player of the Week (Oct. 4)
    • ACWPC All-Academic – Superior
    • MPSF All-Academic Scholar-Athlete
    • Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll

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