BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Former University of Massachusetts’ athletes Javier Gonzalez, Alex Mujica, Luis Limardo and Brian Stahl will join the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Hall of Fame during an online induction ceremony slated for the evening of Thursday, December 18. The ceremony will occur virtually on Thursday, December 18, at 7:00 p.m. Eastern with coverage available on YouTube.
The agenda for the evening includes:
- Introduction
- CWPA Highlight Presentation
- Remarks by Russ Yarworth, Collegiate Water Polo Association Hall of Fame Coach/Former University of Massachusetts Head Coach
- Inductees’ Remarks
- Former Teammate Observations
- Closing Remarks
The quartet – who join Yarworth and women’s athlete Katie Grogan to increase the number of former Minutemen in the Hall of Fame to six – raise the number of CWPA Hall of Fame members to 49 as they join Richard Hunkler (Slippery Rock University/Coach, 2002), Dick Russell (Bucknell University/Coach, 2002), Lynn Kachmarik (Slippery Rock University/Athlete, Bucknell University/Coach, 2003), Ed Reed (Brown University/Coach, 2003), John Barrett (University of Maryland/Athlete, 2004), Paul Barren (West Chester University/Referee, 2004), Sue Kolczak (Slippery Rock University/Athlete, 2005), George Gross (Yale University/Athlete, 2005), Robbie Bova (Slippery Rock University/Athlete, 2006), Scott Schulte (Bucknell University/Athlete, 2006), Katie Grogan (University of Massachusetts/Athlete, 2007), Russ Yarworth (University of Massachusetts/Coach, 2007), Betsey Armstrong (University of Michigan/Athlete, 2008), Tom Popp (United States Naval Academy/Athlete, 2008), Diane Stein Swigart (Slippery Rock University/Athlete, 2009), Lars Enstrom (Brown University/Athlete, 2009), Leslie Entwistle (Slippery Rock University/Athlete, 2010), Chris Judge (Fordham University/Athlete, 2010), Carrie Basye-Becker (Slippery Rock University, University of Maryland/Athlete, 2011), John Benedick (Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Coach, Administrator, 2011), Kristin Stanford (Indiana University/Athlete, 2012), Mark Gensheimer (Bucknell University/Athlete, 2012), Adele McCarthy-Beauvais (Princeton University/Athlete, 2013), Simon Gould (University of Arkansas-Little Rock/Athlete, 2013), Tom Tracey (Villanova University/Director of Officials, 2014), Mike Schofield (United States Naval Academy/Coach, 2014), Goga Vukmirovic (Princeton University/Athlete, 2015), Rich Russey (Brown University/Athlete, 2015), Shana Welch (University of Michigan/Athlete, 2016), Tony Paxton (Bucknell University/Athlete, 2016), Krista Peterson Polvi (Indiana University/Athlete, 2017), Jeff Hilk (Bucknell University/Athlete, 2017), Patricia Ann “Trish” McGuire (Slippery Rock University/Athlete, 2018), Steve Ennis (Brown University/Athlete, 2018), Elyse Colgan (Princeton University/Athlete, 2019), Garrin Kapecki (Bucknell University/Athlete, 2019), Julie Hyrne (University of Michigan/Athlete, 2020), Luis Nicolao (United States Naval Academy/Athlete, 2020), Dan Sharadin (West Virginia University/Villanova University/Collegiate Water Polo Association/Coach & Administrator, 2023), Ted Bresnahan (Johns Hopkins University/Coach, 2024), Carl Quigley (St. Francis College Brooklyn/Coach, 2024), Peter Sabbatini (Princeton University/Athlete, 2024), Aaron Recko (United States Naval Academy/Athlete, 2024), Igor Mladenovic (St. Francis College Brooklyn/Athlete, 2024) and Ashleigh Johnson (Princeton University/Athlete, 2025).
In the history of the league, Slippery Rock University (nine), Bucknell University (six), the University of Massachusetts (six), Princeton University (five), Brown University (four), the Untied States Naval Academy (four), the University of Michigan (three), Indiana University (two), St. Francis College Brooklyn (two), Villanova University (two), Fordham University, Johns Hopkins University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of Arkansas-Little Rock, the University of Maryland, West Chester University, West Virginia University and Yale University have an alumnus/former employee in the Hall of Fame.
Brian Stahl (1995-1998, Two-Meters)
The dominant two-meter set during his time at Massachusetts, Brian Stahl arrived in Amherst, Mass., after garnering high school All-America honors at Wilson High School in Pennsylvania.
During his tenure, he led UMass to Eastern Titles in 1995, 1996 and 1998, all resulting in fourth place finishes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships. A two-time Eastern Championship Most Valuable Player (MVP) and three-time Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) All-America selection (1996 1998- Third Team; 1997 – Honorable Metion), his list of accomplishments by year include:
- 1995
- All-East First Team
- 1996
- All-East First Team
- Eastern Championship Most Valuable Player
- ACWPC All-American Third Team
- NCAA Championship All-Tournament First Team
- 1997
- All East First Team
- ACWPC All-America Honorable Mention
- 1998
- All-East First Team
- Eastern Championship Most Valuable Player
- ACWPC All-America Third Team
- NCAA Championship All-Tournament First Team
- Career (Massachusetts Records)
- Quarters Played: Fifth (391)
- Goals (including two-point goals): Third (297)
- Shots: Second (563)
- Shooting Percentage: Sixth (.528)
- Assists: Third (106)
- Steals: Fifth (141)
- Ejections Drawn: Fourth (95)
- Single Season (Massachusetts Records)
- Goals (including two-point goals): Fourth (104)
- Two-Point Goals: First (12)
- Shots: Fourth (200)
- Assists: Sixth (41)
- Steals: Second (55)
- Penalty Shots Drawn: First (14)
Javier Gonzalez (1991-1994, Driver)
The inaugural impact player from Puerto Rico Junior Program to join the Massachusetts program, Javier Gonzalez established the “Puerto Rican Connection” to Amherst which resulted in UMass being among the most successful program in the East during the 1990’s.
An extremely talented two way player, his shifty driving and gap defense counterattack skills anchored the UMass attack for four years.
During his tenure with the Minutemen, Gonzalez led UMass to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship appearances in 1993 (Sixth Place) and 1994 (Eighth Place) as the team claimed the Eastern Championship in both seasons. The 1993 team was the first Eastern team in NCAA Tournament history to defeat a California based team as they knocked off the University of California-San Diego by a 15-13 score in the consolation round of the NCAA Championship. The Minutemen – who claimed Sixth Place at the championship with a 16-5 loss to University of the Pacific in the Fifth Place game – beat out the United States Naval Academy by a day for the honor as the Midshipmen knocked off UC-San Diego 20-17 in the Seventh Place game.
His list of accomplishments by year include:
- 1994
- All-East First Team
- ACWPC All-America Honorable Mention
- NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team (Honorable Mention)
- 1993
- All-East First Team
- 1992
- New England Division Most Valuable Player
- All-East Second Team
- Career (Massachusetts Records)
- Quarters Played: Fifth (391)
- Goals (including two-point goals): Third (297)
- Two-Point Goals: Fourth (eight)
- Shots: Second (563)
- Shooting Percentage. Sixth (.528)
- Assists: Third (106)
- Steals: Fifth (141)
- Ejections Drawn: Fourth (95)
- Single Season (Massachusetts Records)
- Quarters Played: Fourth (129)
- Goals (including two-point goals): Second (120)
- Two-Point Goals: Sixth (five)
- Shots: First (227)
- Shooting Percentage: Eighth (.557)
- Assists: First (64)
- Steals: Second (55)
- Ejections Drawn: Eighth (45)
Alex Mujica (1992-1995, Goalkeeper)
The backbone of the Minutemen defense during his tenure, Alex Mujica came to Massachusetts the year after Javier Gonzalez and immediately stepped into the starting goaltender position. His positioning, knowledge of the game and explosive reaction time resulted in a keeper who achieved much more than his 5’9″ frame would have predicted. He anchored the UMass defense for four years leading the team to three Eastern titles and three NCAA appearances (1993, 1994, 1995). The 1993 team was the first Eastern team in NCAA Tournament history to defeat a California based team as they knocked off the University of California-San Diego by a 15-13 score in the consolation round of the NCAA Championship.
A three-time All-East First Team selection (1993, 1994, 1995) and a 1995 Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) All-America Honorable Mention pick, he stands among the all-time best athletes in UMass history by ranking on a number of lists:
- Career (Massachusetts Records)
- Quarters Played in Goal: Second (314)
- Saves: Second (743)
- Save Percentage: Third (.560)
- Goals Against Average: Sixth (7.43)
- Single Season (Massachusetts Records)
- Quarters Played in Goal: Fifth (92)
- Saves: Sixth (212)
- Save Percentage: Seventh (.595)
- Goals Against Average: Eighth (6.39)
Luis Limardo (1993-1995, Two-Meters)
A dominant two-meter player for three consecutive Eastern Championship squads, including 1995 when he was named Most Valuable Player (MVP), Luis Limardo led his team’s offense with his ambidextrous style that bamboozled defenses. During his three appearances at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship, his strength and experience showed as he held his own against the nation’s best defenders. He was one of the few East Coast players to be named to an NCAA Tournament First Team in the history of the event for either men or women.
A 1994 and 1995 All-East First Team selection, with 1995 MVP honors, he claimed 1995 Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) All-America Third Team recognition and 1995 NCAA Championship All-Tournament First Team laurels during three years in Amherst.
- Career (Massachusetts Records)
- Goals (including two-point goals): Second (306)
- Shots: Third (559)
- Shooting Percentage: Third (.549)
- Assists: Fourth (95)
- Ejections Drawn: Second (177)
- Penalty Shots Drawn: Second (24)
- Single Season (Massachusetts Records)
- Goals (including two-point goals): First (127)
- Shots: Second (225)
- Shooting Percentage: Seventh (.564)
- Assists: Fourth (44)
- Ejections Drawn: First (71)
- Penalty Shots Drawn: Second (Nine)
Statistical information courtesy the University of Massachusetts
