Five Trojans Earn 2024 ACWPC Men’s Water Polo All-America Honors

USC men's water polo has had four Trojans score their second sets of All-America honors along with one first-time honoree on the list released by the American Collegiate Water Polo Coaches Association. A two-time First Team all-American now, senior Max Miller leads the pack, joined by fellow first-team sophomores Bernardo Herzer and Robert López Duart, who are also all-Americans for the second time in their careers. Fellow senior Carson Kranz also has his second round of ACWPC honors, named to the Third Team in his final season at USC, while sophomore Stefan Brankovic has earned All-America Honorable Mention in his first season of collegiate competition.

USC's three First Team All-America selections matches a program high, also reached in 2020, 2012, 2005 and 2003.

Both named to the Cutino Award Watch List and All-MPSF First Team honorees for 2024, captain Max Miller and USC newcomer Robert López Duart combined for 118 goals this past season. López Duart topped out with 64 goals — eighth most scored in a single season at USC — while Miller added 54. Now a two-time First Team All-American, Miller wrapped his five-year USC career ranked No. 16 all-time in career scoring at USC with 147 goals. He scored in 27 of USC's 29 games on the year, with 15 multiple-goal outings, and drew a whopping 56 exclusions in 2024.

Miller and López Duart also joined forces on the MPSF and NCAA all-tournament teams in helping the Trojans win the 2024 MPSF Tournament championship to make the program's 20th straight NCAA appearance, and go on to play in the NCAA final. In his first season as a Trojan, sophomore López Duart registered a team-high 20 multiple-goal outings, having scored in 25 different games and setting his USC career high with a five-goal outburst in a USC win over Stanford. He was USC's assist leader and second on the team in field blocks. López Duart also was a four-time MPSF Newcomer of the Week honoree. In his freshman season at Long Beach State, he earned 2023 All-America Second Team honors.

USC's third First Team All-American, redshirt sophomore goals Bernardo Herzer, upgraded his 2023 Honorable Mention by helping anchor USC's run to yet another NCAA appearance and another NCAA final. He averaged 10.5 saves per game with eight double-digit save outings and led the team in steals with 52 takeaways in 2024. That included a career-high 18 stops in the Trojans' NCAA semifinal win over previously undefeated Fordham. Herzer was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team and MPSF All-Tournament Team after picking up a spot on the All-MPSF Second Team in his second season of work with the Trojans.

Another senior captain, Carson Kranz also had a stellar final season as a Trojan. Named to this year's All-America Third Team, Kranz scored 38 goals to up his career total to 134 to rank No. 24 all-time in career scoring at USC. He struck in 20 games in 2024, scoring multiple goals in 10 of those outings with a new career high set with a five-goal outburst in USC's MPSF semifinal win over Stanford. Also second on the team in steals, he served up 30 assists on the year. Kranz was named the MPSF Tournament MVP to go along with his All-MPSF Honorable Mention, and he also was an MPSF Player of the Week. Kranz earned his first All-American status last season with a spot on the 2023 Second Team.

In his first season of work with the Trojans, sophomore Stefan Brankovic was a team captain alongside seniors Miller and Kranz. Before claiming his 2024 All-America Honorable Mention, he earned All-MPSF Honorable Mention as well as MPSF Newcomer of the Week honors. He wrapped 2024 with 30 goals scored, striking in 21 different games with seven multiple-goal outings, and picked up 31 steals,

USC posted a 23-6 overall record in 2024 en route to winning its third straight MPSF Tournament title and reaching a 20th consecutive NCAA Tournament, where the Trojans finished as runners-up with their push to the 2024 title match.

Players Mentioned

Stefan Brankovic

Bernardo Herzer

Carson Kranz

Max Miller