Bears Place Three On Cutino Award Watch List

The No. 2 Cal men's water polo team placed three student-athletes on the inaugural Cutino Award Watch List, as announced Thursday by USA Water Polo.

Center Nikolaos Papanikolaou, the 2021 Cutino Award Winner, goalie Adrian Weinberg and attacker Max Casabella were among the 20 players from across the country to be named to the list. The Cutino Award recognizes the top men's and women's player in NCAA each year and will be awarded next spring.

Papanikolaou, who was also the 2021 ACWPC National Player of the Year, is tied for second in the MPSF with 37 goals and ranks fourth in the conference with 16 steals. He also leads the MPSF with 54 earned exclusions and is tied for fourth with seven field blocks.

Weinberg, an ACWPC Second Team All-American last season who played for Team USA at the 2022 FINA World Championships, ranks second in the MPSF with 119 total saves and 8.5 saves per game.

Casabella, also an ACWPC Second Team All-American last year, ranks second in the MPSF at 3.27 goals per game and fourth with 36 goals overall. He is tied for seventh in the conference with 45 points.

The Cutino Award is named after Pete Cutino, the legendary Cal coach who led the Bears to eight national titles during a 26-year career. Cutino is the program's all-time winningest coach with 519 victories.

The three players on the watch list is tied with USC and Pacific for the most by any team.

Cal has had four players win the Cutino Award – Papanikolaou, Luca Cupido (2017), Ivan Rackov (2010) and John Mann (2006).

The Bears visit No. 6 Long Beach State this evening at 5 p.m.