SAN FRANCISCO (August 12, 2021) - The Olympic Club announced finalists for the Peter J. Cutino Award, an iconic honor in NCAA water polo to recognize the best men's and women's players each year. The men's finalists are Jacob Mercep (USC), Nicolas Saveljic (UCLA) and Nikolaos Papanikolaou (Cal) while the women's list features Denise Mammolito (USC), Maud Megens (USC) and Sarah Klass (Stanford).
The Cutino Award ceremony will be
remotely broadcast LIVE on Thursday, September 2 courtesy of USA Water Polo
starting at 9pm EDT/6pm PDT. The broadcast, hosted by Greg Mescall, will
feature interviews with finalists, athletes, coaches and a look ahead to the
men's college season plus the Cutino Award ceremony in its entirety. The
broadcast will air free of charge at YouTube.com/USAWP and Facebook.com/USAWP.
Mercep, a senior driver from
Dubrovnik, Croatia, helped lead USC to the NCAA Championship game. The
three-time First Team All-American racked up 151 goals during his Trojans
career, No. 11 on their all-time list. He opened his 2020-21 campaign with a
seven-goal performance in a win against UCLA and continued to pepper opposing
nets with 39 total goals on the season. Mercep was named to the NCAA
All-Tournament First Team and MPSF All-Tournament Team this year, and earned an
MPSF Player of the Week selection.
Saveljic, a senior attacker from
Kotor, Montenegro, led UCLA to a national championship in 2020-21. He was named
Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) Player of the Year and
earned First Team All-American honors. Saveljic led the Bruins and the MPSF and
was second in the NCAA in scoring with 37 goals in 16 games (2.3 goals per
game). He was also third in assists on the team (10) to finish as the overall
leading scorer on the squad with 47 points. He also led the team, the MPSF, and
the NCAA in steals with 30 on the year.
Papanikolaou, a sophomore center from
Athens, Greece, led Cal to the NCAA Championship Tournament. He was a First
Team All-American. Papanikolaou was named MPSF Player of the Year and First
Team All-MPSF after finishing the season with 25 goals, 26 points and 14
steals, scoring in all 10 of the Bears' regular season games and earning 44
ejections (15 penalty shots). He was the only player in the MPSF this season to
draw six exclusions against a conference opponent, having done so twice.
Mammolito, a senior driver from
Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., helped lead the Trojans to a national championship.
The First Team All-American was USC's top scorer with 51 goals.The fifth-year
senior finished her USC career No. 10 all-time in scoring with 174 goals.
Megens, a senior utility player from
Rotterdam, Netherlands earned ACWPC Player of the Year honors while helping the
Trojans to a national championship. Megens is representing the Dutch national
team at the Tokyo Games after scoring 50 goals for USC in 2021. She closed her
career as the Trojans' No. 6 all-time scorer with 213 goals. She also took home
MPSF Player of the Year and MPSF Tournament MVP honors in 2021. Megens tallied
six goals in the national championship game as USC prevailed over rival UCLA
18-9.
Klass, a senior driver from San
Ramon, Calif., led Stanford to the national championship semifinals. Klass was
a First Team All-American in 2021 after leading the Cardinal in goals with 47.
She also received First Team All-MPSF and MPSF All-Academic recognition. Klass
had the second-best goals per game tally in MPSF with 2.5, and led the league
with 67 sprints won.
Established in 1999 by The Olympic
Club, the Cutino Award is given annually to the top men's and women's NCAA
Division I water polo players as voted on by coaches from across the country.
The namesake of the award is a legend in United States water polo history, with
eight NCAA titles as head coach at Cal. The Olympic Club has a long and
distinguished competitive water polo history, a tradition that continues today
in the pool with some of the best age-group teams in the world.
ABOUT THE OLYMPIC CLUB
Founded in 1860, The Olympic Club
enjoys the distinction of being amongst the oldest athletic clubs in America.
Since its birth, The Olympic Club has fostered amateur athletics in San
Francisco. The Winged "O" currently fields teams in 16 sports.
Additionally, The Olympic Club has hosted five U.S. Opens, and looks forward to
hosting the 2021 U.S. Women's Open, 2028 PGA Championship, and 2032 Ryder Cup
at its world-class Lakeside Clubhouse golf courses.
Greg Mescall
Director of Communications, USA Water
Polo
Michael Phelps Teaches Swimming
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