Success can breed complacency, and Fordham Water Polo has enjoyed its fair share of success. They’ve raised the banner two years in a row, boasting back-to-back Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) championships, and finishing last season as the second-best water polo program on the east coast. There’s a lot of success to rest on — but they’re not doing any of that.
“I think our guys are as determined as ever,” says head coach Brian Bacharach. “While we’ve had some success, our season was not a national championship.”
Despite two straight league championships, Fordham’s season has ended at the hands of Princeton University back-to- back years in the NCAA tournament. Princeton is poised to be the top program in the east again and will likely need to be defeated if Fordham wishes to make headway in NCAAs.
Another obstacle the Rams will need to overcome is the departure of Nir Gross. Gross made an immediate impact in his lone season with the Rams, winning both MAWPC Regular Season and Tournament MVP. Commanding attention in the two-meter area, he opened up the outside lanes, allowing a high-powered Rams offense to flourish.
“Nir was a special player, but he also brought a level of maturity and championship pedigree,” noted Bacharach. “He’s a tough guy to replace.”
Luckily for the Rams, they have a wealth of talent returning.
Headlined by juniors Jacopo Parrella, George Papanikolaou and Lucas Nieto Jasny, all of whom are coming off two straight 100-point seasons, the Rams return their top-five point scorers from last season and look to be sharp as ever offensively. To sweeten the pot, First Team All-MAWPC goalkeeper Thomas Lercari is back for his junior year, following a 339-save season that ranks second of all time in program history. The final piece missing is depth. While Fordham has built a roster fit to dominate the MAWPC, it’s been a step behind Princeton and the powerhouse programs on the West Coast.
They’ll seek to remedy that by adding seven players in their 2023 recruiting class. Joining the mix is junior Paul Armingol, a transfer from a St. Francis Brooklyn team that defeated Fordham in each of the last two seasons.
Incoming freshmen Christopher Gray and Barnabas Eppel have both won gold medals in national tournament play, while Christian Gotterup, Gabriel Guinane, Reid Thorson and goalkeeper Panayiotis Giannas round it out.
In October, they’ll have a chance to test their improved depth against the very best of the best when they travel to California for a six-game stretch.
The trip includes a match against the University of California, last year’s NCAA champion, and every opponent who finished last season top 20 in the national poll. Success in the NCAAs sounds lovely, but winning the MAWPC championship remains the priority — and three straight certainly has a nice ring to it.
But who says you can’t strive for more? As the program continues to rise on a steep upward trajectory, the signs are there. Fordham Water Polo is building towards something bigger.
