Seven members of the 2007 Â鶹ÊÓƵ men’s water polo team earned All-Academic recognition while playing at a highly competitive level in the pool.
Each of the seven scholar-athletes earned a 3.25 GPA or higher during the fall season. Leading the way in the classroom were Mac Hansler of Huntington Beach and Adam Kantor of Carmel, both sophomore biology majors recognized at the "outstanding" level, the highest honor bestowed by the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches.
Also recognized for academic excellence were Greg Benz, an undeclared sophomore from Blue Bell, Penn; Cameron Brahmst, a junior biochemistry major from Fremont; Abiel Garcia, a junior economics major from Houston, Texas; Bryce Rawers, a senior English and comparative literary studies major from San Diego; and Austen Oliver, an undeclared freshman from Baytown, Texas.
The entire Â鶹ÊÓƵ team combined for the sixth highest grade point average among the 47 varsity water polo programs across the nation, a group that includes Harvard, Stanford, UCLA, UC Berkeley, USC, and the U.S. Naval Academy.
In the pool Benz, Brahmst, Kantor and Oliver played in each of the Tigers’ 27 games during the 2007 season. Brahmst led the team with 33 drawn ejections while Oliver supplied a team high 35 assists and six field blocks. Brahmst was also second on the team with 67 goals, 38 steals and five field blocks. Oliver tallied 26 drawn ejections, third to Garcia who finished with 28. Garcia also was also among the Tigers’ top three in goals (26) and steals (28).
Earlier this year, three Occidental runners and both the men’s and women’s cross country teams earned Academic All-American honors for performances on the course and in the classroom.
