It was announced earlier today that seven University of Redlands men's water polo players landed on the Western Water Polo Association's (WWPA) All-Academic Team for the 2009-10 academic year.
The recipients of this honor must carry a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, compete in at least 50 percent of the team's games, and be classified as a full-time student who has completed a minimum of one semester or two quarters at his member institution.
Freshman driver Patrick Roth (Salt Lake City, UT) leads the Bulldogs with his stellar GPA of 3.96 as a Biology major. During his rookie campaign, he scored five goals and provided three assists to go along with five steals.
Senior central defender John Floersch (San Jose, CA) offers a 3.56 GPA as a now-graduated Business major. After a stellar 2009 season, J. Floersch garnered Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) Second-Team All-America honors and First-Team All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) accolades. His 65 ejections drawn ranked second both on the team and on the program's single-season top-10 list. He also added 32 goals, 17 assists, 25 steals and 16 field blocks.
His brother, Ryan, boasts a 3.53 cumulative GPA and completed his Business degree earlier this May. R. Floersch cleaned up in the postseason awards following a spectacular 2009 campaign. He was named the SCIAC Player of the Year and the ACWPC NCAA Division III Player of the Year in addition to gaining a spot on the All-WWPA First Team and the ACWPC All-America First Team. R. Floersch set the program's single-season record in ejections drawn (125) and also eclipsed the program's career mark in the statistical category with 220. He also led the Bulldogs in goals (63), ranking 16th in the nation.
Senior goalkeeper Teddy Trowbridge (Mercer Island, WA) finished up his four-year stint at Redlands with a 3.49 GPA as a Computer Science major. While serving as the program's starting net-minder for the third consecutive year, he racked up 234 saves to rank 10th in the nation. Trowbridge was named to the All-SCIAC Second Team and the ACWPC Honorable Mention All-America Team.
Senior driver Brent Dotters (Porterville, CA) also graduated with a degree in Business to go along with his GPA of 3.38. He added depth to the Bulldog attack by scoring 27 goals while recording 25 assists, eight steals, 13 ejections drawn and six field blocks.
Finally, freshman driver Zac Chierici (Millbrae, CA) and junior driver Tim Hendrickson (Los Altos, CA) complete the list of Redlands recipients with their cumulative GPAs of 3.24 and 3.21, respectively. As a rookie, Chierici put away six goals and also offered two assists, five steals, two ejections drawn and one field block. Hendrickson scored five goals in spot duty during the 2009 season, proving to be a viable reserve for the Bulldogs. He also supplied seven assists, 12 steals, four ejections drawn and four field blocks.
Earlier this spring, J. Floersch, R. Floersch, Trowbridge, Dotters, Chierici, and Hendrickson also gained ACWPC All-Academic Awards.
During the 2009 men's water polo season, the Bulldogs (18-18, 9-1 SCIAC) captured the SCIAC Championship for the eighth time in program history and rallied to finish seventh at the WWPA Championships.