University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
NCAA Champions Ink Three to National Letters of Intent
February 15, 2018 | Men's Water Polo
The UCLA men's water polo team signed three impressive standouts to the 2018 recruiting class.
SOCIAL MEDIA:ย MWP on Twitterย |ย MWP on Facebookย |ย MWP on Instagram
LOS ANGELES -- UCLA head men's water polo coach Adam Wright has announced the signing of three student-athletes to National Letters of Intent to attend UCLA in the fall of 2018. The class consists of two players from Orange Lutheran High School and one from Huntington Beach High School.
The student-athletes from Orange Lutheran HS includes Matthew Kacuraย (6-2, ATK, San Clemente, Calif.) and Ashworth Molthenย (6-3, ATK, Buena Park, Calif.) and theย student-athleteย from Huntington Beach HS is Jake Cavanoย (6-4, ATK, Fountain Valley, Calif.).
Kacura was a four-year letterwinnerย for the Lancers as an attacker in water polo. He was named a second team All-Trinity League player in 2014, 2015 and 2017 andย to the first team as a junior in 2016. He was also named third team All-CIF after his junior and senior seasons andย named first team OC Registerย All-County in 2017. He played in 115 games in his prep career, registering 240 goals while recording 164 steals, 75 assists, 54 exclusions drawn and 26 field blocks. He was named Orange Lutheran's Defensive Player of the Year in 2016 and 2017 and was the Offensive Player of the Year in 2015. In 2014, he was OLU'sย Rookie of the Year as a freshman on the varsity squad. Was on the Lancers' CIF Championship team in 2016.ย He played his club ball for Northwood Water Polo Club and was aย Junior Olympic champion in 2015 and was part of a third-place team in 2016.ย Kacura has been a constant member of U.S. Junior and Senior National Teams from 2013-16.
"I really believe that Matthew has established himself as one of the top players in the country," Wright said. "His ceiling to grow exponentially is greater than many people think. He's a very explosive and dynamic player. This year, for his team, he had to play at center, even though that isn't his natural position. He usually plays on the left side and is moving non-stop, but now has the ability to go in and be a second center, which will be critical for us. He can also shoot the ball really well and willl be a surprise for sure."
Molthen was a four-year letterwinnerย for the Lancers as an attacker in water polo. He was a four-year All-American, a four-year All-CIF selection and a four-year All-Trinity League pick. Also named first team OC Registerย All-County in 2017 after scoringย 87 goals,ย adding a team-high 78 assists and 55 steals for the Lancers. In 2016, he was also named theย CIF Player of the Year, the Trinity League Player of the Year and the OC Varsityย Water Polo Player of the Year after leading OLU to its first-ever CIF SS title. That year, he scored 74 goals and tallied 74 assists as the Lancers went 26-3, defeating Huntington Beach HS, 9-7, in the final. He is the Lancers' career record holder in goals, assists and field blocks. He played his club ball for Northwood Water Polo Club and is aย four-timeย Junior Olympic champion and a two-time Junior Olympic MVP. Molthenย has been a constant member of U.S. Junior and Senior National Teams and most recently (August of 2017) was on the 2017 FINAย Men's Junior World Championship roster for Team USA.
"Left-handers in our game are hard to come by and we have been fortunate to have the lefties in our program that we have had," Wright said. "Ashworth, three years ago, established himself as the top lefty in the country and has been playing in the U.S. National Team system for a long time. He will have an immediate impact in our program once he gets into the competitive nature within our training."
Cavano was a four-year letterwinnerย for the Oilers in water polo andย swimming. He was named first team All-CIF and first team All-Sunset League in 2017 and 2016 as the Oilersย (17-11) finished second in the Sunset League and eighth in Division 1, advancing to the semifinals of the Regional Division 2 playoffs., falling to eventual champion Orange Lutheran in the CIF SoCalย Regional Division II semifinals last year. HBHS also finished second in 2016ย at the CIF-SS Championships, the Oilers' first-ever appearance in the finalsย and third in 2014. He was also namedย first team OC Registerย All-County in 2017.ย He played his club ball for Vanguard Aquatics. He is well-established in the U.S. national team pipeline system and is one of the top defensive players in Orange County and most recently (August of 2017) was on the 2017 FINAย Men's Junior World Championship roster for Team USA.
"Jake is a big kid and physically, he'll be one of our bigger guys," Wright said. "One of the areas we need to continue to get better at is two-meter defense,ย and he is going to bring that to us. But he also brings the ability to shoot, so he will be used as a utility player because he can play a variety of positions. He can go out and attack and he can post up. He will make an immediate impact as a defender for us as well."
ย
