Water Polo Adds Two NLI Signees
11/20/2018 1:21:00 PM | Men's Water Polo
MALIBU, Calif. – The Pepperdine men's water polo team added two solid recruits during this early signing period, Head Coach Terry Schroeder announced on Tuesday . The Waves add Zachary Arthur and Austin Smit to the 2019 roster.
The Waves are coming off a third place showing at the Golden Coast Conference Tournament after taking the second seed thanks to their 3-1 conference record during the regular season.
Here's some more info on both signees:
Zach Arthur
Redlands, Calif./Redlands East Valley HS
Was a three-year starter on varsity at Redlands East Valley HS … Won the 2015 Div 5 CIF Championship, the first championship in school history … Named to CIF D3 Second Team in 2016 … Named to CIF D5 First Team as a freshman, and CIF D2 First Team in 2017 … Named to All-American Fourth Team in 2017 … Chose Pepperdine "For the water polo program and coaches, who I feel are a wealth of knowledge, discipline and integrity. I also like that I could get my MBA in 5 years. Plus, the location doesn't hurt either."
Schroeder on Arthur: "Zach is a great kid. He's very versatile in that he can drive, he can post up, and he can play defense well. He has been at our camps, so we know him really well. We are really excited about him, and think that he is really going to help boost our program."
Austin Smit
San Diego, Calif./Cathedral Catholic HS
Part of 2018 San Diego CIF section Champions as well as AFC tournament champions … Named San Diego Tribune Player of the week in 2018 … Named to San Diego Section All-League team in both 2017 and 2018 … Received First Team All-CIF San Diego Section as a senior in 2018 ... Played with the Olympic Development Team against the Canadian U16 team… Named an academic All-American … Chose Pepperdine because "I want to be apart of a community that acts as a family. Everyone is there for each other. I also wanted to play Division I water polo and be in a Christian community. This school was my number 1 choice and I'm blessed to be able to go to Pepperdine."
Schroeder on Smit: "We are really excited about Austin. He is down in San Diego, and is really a super kid that I think is going to be a good fit for the program. He is a really skilled center who has great hands. He reminds me a bit of myself in high school actually. He has a lot of raw talent, and I think he's going to be a great college player. I am excited to add him to the mix, and I think hes going to help give us another look at center."
