PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Head coach Paul Macht and the La Salle University men’s water polo team will welcome ten freshmen to the 2017 men’s water polo team. The Explorers added to an already young and talented team that now includes 19 underclassmen.
“Everyone on our team will make an impact in some form,” said Macht. “It’s a really exciting time for us. This class has a lot to offer for our program.”
South Africa native Ash Lyne is one of two international newcomers to the Explorers and comes from a family of notable athletes. Lyne’s uncle, Clifford, swam in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain while his grandmother, Moira Ford, was a bronze medalist in 4×100 freestyle relay at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. His mother and father were also both national swimmers. Lyne, a Johannesburg native, was a team captain his of high school team and the scoring and assist leader all four years. He made the U19 Currie Cup Inter-Provincial Tournament as a senior.
Trevin Zweifel, Chesterfield, Missouri native, adds blazing speed that Coach Macht has already begun raving about. Zweifel was a notable swimmer at Marquette High School. He placed in the top-16 in the state in the 100 and 50 freestyle. As a water polo player, he recorded 103 goals and 43 assists as a senior and was named the Dick Newman Offensive Player of the Year and the Gateway West Conference Player of the Year.
Cole Strohson, a utility player from Newport Beach, California, comes from a water polo hot bed and one of the best high school programs in the country in Corona Del Mar High School.
Daniel Domotor, a native of Budapest, Hungary, brings an impressive record of success to the team. His club team finished third in the Hungarian National Championship in 2015 and second in the Hungarian National Cup the same year. Domotor was named the Best Young Talent of Honved in 2014.
Cameron Schiable is expected to fill in as a reserve goalie and field player for the Explorers. He’s had notable success on Team Vegas, the same club team that current Explorers Joey and Derek DeFusco once played on.
Karl Miller and Huw Helman are also both expected to see playing time in their first year. Miller played for Capital Water Polo which is known as a strong club team while Helman, who played for Tigers Aquatics Club in Princeton, New Jersey, was a remarkable swimmer who helped his high school finish runner up at states.
Anthony Hidalgo, Andrew Marquez, Demetrius Morales and Nikoloz Bakradze round out the newcomers. Hidalgo attended John W. North High School in Riverside, California, and led his team with 75 goals as a senior. Morales was the team captain and team MVP of Eagle Rock High School in Los Angeles and will add to the Explorers’ defensive efforts. Bakradze attended North Penn High School and helped his team place first in its conference and second in the state. Marquez adds some veteran experience as a junior college transfer from West Valley College in California. A season ago, West Valley placed first in the conference, first in the Northern California region, and third in states. Marquez will sit out this season recovering from an injury.
The men’s water polo season begins with the United States Naval Academy Navy Open on September 2 in Annapolis, Maryland.
Release courtesy La Salle University Athletics Communications
