Saturday, September 2
San Diego, Calif.
8:00 AM
USC
vs
California Baptist
Players Mentioned
D
/ Men's Water Polo
2M
/ Men's Water Polo
DR
/ Men's Water Polo
UT
/ Men's Water Polo
2M
/ Men's Water Polo
DR
/ Men's Water Polo
2M
/ Men's Water Polo
2M
/ Men's Water Polo
D
/ Men's Water Polo
UT
/ Men's Water Polo
G
/ Men's Water Polo
G
/ Men's Water Polo
DR
/ Men's Water Polo
2M
/ Men's Water Polo
G
/ Men's Water Polo
DR
/ Men's Water Polo
G
/ Men's Water Polo
2M
/ Men's Water Polo
UT
/ Men's Water Polo
DR
/ Men's Water Polo
D
/ Men's Water Polo
UT
/ Men's Water Polo
UT
/ Men's Water Polo
DR
/ Men's Water Polo
USC Men’s Water Polo Season Outlook: No. 2 Trojans Reload For 2023 Campaign
August 31, 2023 | Men's Water Polo
Action kicks off at the Triton Invitational before USC sets up to host an NCAA rematch on Sept. 9.
USC men's water polo is ready to get right down to business this season. Week two of 2023 competition has the Trojans' home opener featuring a rematch of last year's NCAA title match. With top-ranked Cal coming to USC's home waters on Sept. 9, the No. 2 Trojans dig right in as they set their course back to the NCAA final in 2023, aiming for an 11th national championship.
Through the summer and into the first weeks of the semester, head coach Marko Pintaric — in his fifth year at the helm of the USC men's program — has already noticed his team dedicating themselves to the training and discipline it takes to earn a spot in the NCAA final. Leading that commitment in part is the upperclassmen. The majority of the Trojan squad from the 2022 NCAA Tournament roster are returning for another season, and captains Carson Kranz and Max Miller are leading the group in working hard, setting high expectations and creating a positive team culture.
"The team itself is really a great group of guys to work with," Pintaric said. "The team is extremely close, the chemistry is there, and for that reason it's great to be on the pool deck. What excites me is even though we graduated 11 players, we are a new-old team — we have another 10-plus players stepping up and into their roles to compete for playing time and to contribute."
This year's squad opens the 2023 season ranked No. 2 in the nation after that NCAA final appearance last year. Winners of the MPSF Tournament championship to clinch a 18th straight trip to the NCAA tourney, USC finished up undefeated at home and posted a 20-7 overall record. The run to the title match marked the Trojans' 17th appearance in the final in those 18 consecutive NCAA visits.
The returners from that NCAA roster are critical to setting USC up strongly in all areas of the pool. They include All-American and MPSF Newcomer of the Year Massimo Di Martire, who led the Trojans in scoring with 63 goals in the 2022 season — seven of those goals scored in the NCAA Tournament. Senior captain Kranz and junior Luka Brnetic also return as All-MPSF honorees.
Brnetic and Reed Stemler are seasoned hole guards ready to shut down any moves at two-meters. In front of the cage as well will be senior captain Miller and Tony Nardelli, each bringing valuable experience in their fourth years as centers. Newcomer Connor Cohen and sophomore Zac Crenshaw also add size and power to that spot for the Trojans.
Back in the water for his sophomore season, Andrej Grgurevic spent his summer playing with the Australian Junior National Team. Grgurevic scored 21 goals as a true freshman last season. Pintaric highlights him and Kranz as players who can fill any role — driving, posting up or shooting — to help fuel the Trojan attack.
With the graduation of some powerful left-handed shooters, sophomore Jack Vort, freshman Zach Bettino and redshirt freshman Charlie Saunders are ready to step up on the 4-6 side, joined by righties Di Martire and Jake Carter, who are proven sharpshooters on that side of the pool. Working on the 1-2 side is a group of guys making an impact with their utility and speed on both sides of the pool in returners Evan Ausmus, Tom McGuire, Joshua Waldoch and Aidan Wattson.
The Trojans' goalie squad is also ripe with skill and size, with 6-foot-7 Eric Hubner bringing upperclassman experience and 6-6 Bernardo Herzer coming off a redshirt year. Incoming freshman goalies Charles Mills and Cooper Mathisrud further bolster USC in the cage as the group competes for playing time as the backbone of the Trojan defense.
The balance of the 2023 USC squad is rounded out by new additions to the roster. Stanford transfer Jack Martin and Serbian newcomer Stefan Brankovic are raising the level of competition in practice for the younger additions of Spencer Averitt, Chase Landa, Luke Nelson and Will Sanchez. Each player on the roster has an opportunity to make an impact on the way to NCAAs.
"Everyone knows how difficult getting to the final is," Pintaric said. "The way they are training this year is to get USC back into that game. For many outsiders, this looks like a rebuilding year, but for us, like every year, we have different players who will get more chances to make an impact. We are reloading and ready."
The Trojans' 2023 campaign begins this weekend with a trip to the Triton Invitational at UC San Diego's Canyonview Aquatic Center. USC will start off on Saturday (Sept. 2) with its season opener against California Baptist at 8 a.m. At 1:15 p.m. that day, the Trojans will face Pomona-Pitzer. On Sunday (Sept. 3), USC will go against Biola at 10:30 a.m. and round out the invitational at 5 p.m. against UC San Diego.
USC's first three games at the event will be live streamed at overnght.com, and the USC-UCSD game will stream on ESPN+.
Carson Kranz: Trojans Live 11.25.24
Monday, November 25
Stefan Brankovic | Trojans Live 09.23.24
Monday, September 23
Men's Water Polo - USC 13, UCLA 9: Highlights (11/18/23)
Saturday, November 18
Men’s Water Polo - USC 20, Augustana 4 : Highlights (11/17/23)
Friday, November 17
