PRINCETON, N.J. — The Princeton University men’s water polo team has announced the programs incoming Class of 2029 recruits.
“First, I want to thank both Huw (Helman) and Bella (Baia) for helping assemble one of the top recruiting classes in the nation,” said head coach Dustin Litvak. “Our staff works extensively to ensure we bring in top quality student-athletes that will not only help us in the pool but also add to our culture and the greater Princeton community.”
“Otto and Taylor are two of the top high school and club players in the nation hailing from elite programs and have been coached by the best. We expect them to contribute at a high-level from day one. After graduating three of our four center defenders this past season, Luka is a huge addition to our program and comes with a plethora of international experience. Finally, Pierre fills a much-needed void on our team as we only had one goalie on our roster last year which is very risky. He is extremely passionate about water polo and Princeton and is a great fit in terms of the energy and competitiveness our guys bring day in and day out.”
Taylor Bell (Tustin, Calif./JSerra Catholic)
- High School: Senior captain that won the Trinity League MVP… Two time First-Team All Trinity League, Two-time All County, Five time, USA Water Polo All-American…Team was three-time Trinity League Champions, three-time Regional Champions and CIF Champions…Part of JSerra’s 30-game winning streak …Recorded 98 goals in senior season…JSerra’s second leading scorer in program history…Played for the 2024 U18 National Team…also lettered in swim and holds two JSerra program records in the 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle…Named to Dean’s list…Two-time Principal’s Honor Roll Honoree
- Personal: Son of Colleen and John Bell…Has a brother, John, and two sisters, Holland and Kylie
Pierre du Plessis (Cape Town, Western Cape/Rondebosch Boys’ High School)
- Represented South Africa U16 at the FINA World Championships and U18 at the Maccabiah Games…Represented Western Province at the annual National Provincial Tournaments from U12-U19…Captain of the South Africa and Western Province U16 teams…Captain of the RBHS U19 team to first ever gold medal at King Edward School (KES) Tournament…Goalie of the Tournament at KES…High school MVP and Defensive Player of the Year…Three-time Goalie of the Tournament…Elected as prefect to RBHS Executive Council…Member of RBHS School Council…Head of outreach portfolio for three years…Head of environmental portfolio…Coordinator of RBHS volunteers for Cape Town Marathon…Awarded academic honors twice…Economics Olympiad gold…Two-time US Water Polo All-American Outstanding Academic
- Personal: Son of Charl JA du Plessis and Tanya Goodman…Has a sister, Tessa
Luka Franulovic (Rijeka, Croatia/Gimnazija Andrije Mohorovicic Rijeka)
- High School: Two-time U16 National Champion, U16 National Cup Champion…Third place finish at the U16 National Championship…Two-time U18 National Championship runner-up…Third place finish at the U18 National Championship…Two-time third place finish at the U18 National Cup
- Personal: Son of Dragica and Andrej Franulovic…Has a sister Ana Maria…Father, Andrej, played water polo professionally
Otto Stothart (Studio City, Calif./Harvard Westlake)
- High School: Part of Harvard Westlake’s three CIG SS Semi Finalist teams…Four-time Mission League Champion…Two-time Second Team CIF…Named to the 2024 Mission League First Team
- Personal: Son of Fergus Stothart and Amy Egan…Has two brothers, Mot, who played water polo at Harvard University, and Ilias, who plays water polo at Brown University
Release courtesy Princeton University Athletics Communications
