University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Five Bruins Earn ACWPC All-America Acclaim
December 21, 2023 | Men's Water Polo
BRIDGEPORT, Pa.ย --ย The Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) announced the selection of the organization's 2023 Men's Division I All-America Teams today. The Bruins had five players selected to various teams, highlighted by first team picks senior attackers Jack Larsen and Rafael Real Vergara.
Senior goalkeeper Garret Griggs and senior attacker Makoto Kenney were both named Second Team All-America selections while freshman utility Ben Liechty was named to the Honorable Mention All-America team.
Real Vergara, a four-time All-American, earned his third-consecutive selection to the first team. He finished the season with a team- and MPSF-high 71 goals, which is the most by a Bruin in 20 years and ranks seventh all-time on the UCLA single season chart. He also had 23 assists on the year to lead the team and finish fourth in the league in coring with 94 points. He was also second on the team and fifth in the MPSF in field blocks (13).
For Larsen, it was his first season to earn All-American acclaim. He scored a career-high 40 goals in the 2023 season to finish third on the team in scoring. He was third on the team and sixth in the MPSF in assists with a career-high 36. That boosted his total points to 76 on the year, which was second on the team team and eighth in the league. Larsen also had a stellar defensive season, registering a career-best 16 field blocks (led the team and tied for second in the MPSF) and a career-high 29 steals, which was second on the squad and tied for the seventh in the league.
Griggs also earned his first All-American honors in 2023 after finishing the year with a 22-3 record as a starter in the cage. He led the team and MPSF in steals with 39 and also paced the league in saves with a career-best 238, which ranked fourth all-time on the Bruins' single season list. Griggs also finished third in the MPSF in save percentage at 54.7 percent.
Another Bruin to capture All-American accolades for the first time in his career was Kenney, who finished third on the team and ninth in the MPSF in scoring with 68 points. He tallied 41 assists to lead the Bruins and rank fourth in the league. His 27 goals ranked tied for sixth on the squad.
Liechty, a true freshman, was the final Bruin honored by the ACWPC in 2023. He finished second on the team with 41 goals, which ranked 11th in the MPSF.
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