BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, N.Y. –– St. Francis College Brooklyn men’s water polo head coach Bora Dimitrov announced the additions of Paul Armingol, Leonidas Athanasoulias, Luka Bogdanov, Paolo Morliere, Matteo Nardelli, Riyad Shehadeh and Adonis Vlassis. All seven student-athletes are set to join the Terriers’ men’s water polo program for the 2020 season.
“We are very excited to announce our incoming class of 2020,” stated Dimitrov.
“This group of guys will certainly be great additions to our program. As a coach, you can tell when you are working with the recruits who do their due diligence. Every member of the incoming class demonstrated maturity, discipline, and good organizational skills during the recruitment process. It was a true pleasure guiding all seven of them through that process and I am extremely excited to start working with them in person. Congratulations and welcome to St. Francis College.”
Paul Armingol | Attacker | Aix-en-Provence, France
Armingol is a 6-foot-0, attacker from Aix-en-Provence, France. He comes to St. Francis from Lycée Emile Zola where he attended high school. He played competitive water polo on the club level where he garnered a number of awards. Every summer, he has competed in the French Championship and won the French Championship five times. Since 2017 he has played with the French National Team in preparation for the European Championship. Academically, Armingol is set to receive the BAC Academic Honor from his school. He intends to major in Accounting and Business Law at St. Francis. Armingol chose St. Francis because of its renowned academics and location in New York City.
Leonidas Athanasoulias | Driver | Hydra, Greece
Athanasoulias is a 6-foot-4, driver from Hydra, Greece. He previously attended Malmö Borgarskola and played club water polo for Vattenpolo Akademin. Athanasoulias had a decorated water polo career between playing in Sweden and Greece. He earned 11 Swedish National Championship medals, one Silver medal at the Greek National Championship in 2015, and three medals with the Swedish Junior National Team in the Nordic Championship. He was a two-time Swedish National Champion (U18 & U20) and was the top scorer in the 2018 Borac Kup. He intends to major in Business Management and chose St. Francis because of its size, division, location, professionalism and history.
Luka Bogdanov | Goalie | Eugene, Oregon
Bogdanov is a 6-foot-2, goalie from Eugene, Oregon. He attended South Eugene High School where he was a member of the varsity water polo and varsity swimming teams. While playing water polo in high school he recorded several accolades. Bogdanov was named First Team All-Conference, was a State Honorable Mention, was a ODP PNW Regional Team representative, and an ODP All-Star Team selection. He played club water polo for Eugene City Water Polo. He intends to major in Political Science and chose St. Francis because of its diverse community, location in New York City, and Division I water polo program.
Paolo Morliere | Driver | Marseille, France
Morliere is a 5-foot-9, driver and hails from Marseille, France. He previously attended Notre Dame de France Marseille and represented his native France as a member of the National Water Polo Team. He intends to major in Political Science and chose to attend St. Francis because it is a faith-based institution that is highly regarded in academics and athletics. He is also fulfilling a dream by studying in New York City. Additionally, Morliere is an aspiring journalist.
Matteo Nardelli | Driver | Fasano, Italy
Nardelli is a 5-foot-11, driver from Fasano, Italy, and attended IISS Da Vinci – Fasano for high school. He intends to major in Management for the opportunity of growth that it can give him in an entrepreneurial career. He chose St. Francis because he loved the friendly atmosphere that exists within the College. Nardelli is most proud of being able to pursue his dream in the United States.
Riyad Shehadeh | Center | Nicosia, Cyprus
Shehadeh is a 6-foot-2, center and hails from Nicosia, Cyprus. He went to high school at the Pascal Greek School and played club water polo at the Nicosia Nautical Water Polo Club. He was named the Best Player in U18 and was the Finals MVP at the U18 Cyprus Cup. Additionally, while he was in high school he played both basketball and handball. He intends to major in Business Administration and chose to attend St. Francis because of Coach Dimitrov and the opportunity to be a member of the Terriers’ men’s water polo program.
Adonis Vlassis | Defender | Athens, Greece
Vlassis is a 6-foot-2, defender from Athens, Greece. Before St. Francis, he attended Lycee Francohellenique Eugene Delacroix and played club water polo for Vouliagmeni Nautical Club. He was a member of the Greek Water Polo National Team. Vlassis participated in the Junior European Championship with the Greek National Team and played in the U17 Greek Championship with Vouliagmeni Nautical Club. As a member of the Vouliagmeni Nautical Club his team came in first-place in the U13 Championship in 2014, U15 Championship in 2016, and U17 Championship in 2018. He intends to major in Business at SFC.
Release courtesy St. Francis Brooklyn Athletics Communications
