MALIBU, Calif. – Head coach Terry Schroeder, and the Pepperdine men's water polo coaching staff, announced the nine newcomers joining the squad for the 2023 season.
 
The Waves will welcome three transfers, including All-Americans from Princeton (Antun Knez) and Orange Coast College (Dane Howell), All-GCC honoree from UC Santa Barbara (Ryan Brosnan) and six freshmen, including five from California and one from Russia (Jackson Benners).
 
"I am very excited about our incoming class," said Schroeder.  "We have a great balance of talented experienced players and young freshmen that have played at the highest level. 
 
"Adding depth, talent and experience to our goalie position is Antun Knez, an All- American graduate from Princeton and freshman Tanner McCreary. Ryan Brosnan is a sharp shooting graduate from UC Santa Barbara who will bring tenacity and a high level of goal scoring ability to the team.  Junior college transfer Dane Howell is a speedy utility player who could fill many different roles on the team. Freshman Jon Carcarey was the D1 player of the year last year and is a versatile and talented player who could earn some good minutes next year as a guard or an attacker. Jackson Benners is a scrappy and smart player that will be challenging for minutes. Adam Yost is a left-handed attacker that could prove to be a valuable addition to the team. Finally, Bronson Birdsall and Chase Wilson are both centers that will add depth to that position.  All of these players have potential to help our team next year and all of them will help to create a more competitive environment in every practice next fall. Ultimately, this will make us better."
 
Jackson Benners – Attacker – Kursk, Russia. – Orange Lutheran HS 
Graduated from Orange Lutheran High School, located in Orange, Calif., in 2023 … Also attended Greenhill School in Addison, Texas his first two years … Played two years of varsity water polo … Made the CIF Division I First Team as a senior … Won a Division 1 CIF championship in 2022 … Broke four long-standing swim team relay records at Greenhill … Earned a Trinity League Scholar Athlete as a junior … Earned a Trinity All-League first team selection as a senior. 

Benners says he chose to attend Pepperdine because of "the strong water polo program and academics. I am very excited to be a part of the school and I really like its feeling of family."
 
Bronson Birdsall - Center - Kailua, Hawai'i - Foothill HS
Graduated from Foothill High School, located in Santa Ana, Calif., in 2023 ... Played two years of varsity water polo ... Helped his team to two league titles ... Also lettered in swim ... Participated in ODP National Team in 2019 and Youth National Team in 2022.
 
Birdsall says "I decided on Pepperdine because of the amazing people and environment to become the best college water polo team." 
 
Ryan Brosnan - Driver - Newport Beach, Calif. - UCSB
Graduated from UCSB in 2022 … Played three seasons for the Gauchos … Selected to All-GCC second team … In his senior season for UCSB, marked 30 goals, 27 assists and 57 points … Added seven steals and led the team with 96 total shots … In three years at Newport High School, earned All-League first team twice and All-CIF second team and All-American honors once.

Brosnan says he chose to attend Pepperdine because "the location is amazing, and the coaches are great".
 
Jonathan Carcarey – Utility – Lompoc, Calif. – Orange Lutheran HS 
Graduated from Orange Lutheran High School, located in Orange, Calif., in 2023 ... Also attended Ernest Righetti High School his first year … Played three years of varsity water polo ... Earned the CIF Southern Division I Player of the Year as a senior ... Won the Division I Southern Section Champions in 2022 ... Selected to Orange County first team as a senior ... Earned a CIF Honorable Mention as a freshman … Also participated for the Youth National Team in 2022. 

Carcarey says he enjoys "hanging out with friends, watching movies, going to the beach, and spending time with family" when he isn't playing water polo. 
 
Dane Howell - Attacker - Huntington Beach, Calif. - Orange Coast College
Transferring from Orange Coast College … Played two seasons (2021-22) … Had a career total of 117 goals, 44 assists, 48 steals, 10 blocks and 23 exclusions … Received two All-American Southern Section honors in 2021 and 2022 … Earned the OCC Men's Swim Most Improved in the spring of 2022 … Received two All-Conference Orange Empire awards in 2021 and 2022 … Earned the Male Scholar Athlete Award in 2022 and made the Dean's list. 
 
Antun Knez – Goalie – Dubrovnik, Croatia - Princeton 
Graduated from Princeton University in 2023 ... Played three seasons (2019-22), and the 2020 season was canceled due to COVID-19 ... Had a career total of 587 saves (210 as a 2019 freshman, 199 as a 2021 junior, and 178 as a 2022 senior) ... Received an All-American honorable mention in 2022 ... Earned an NWPC All-Tournament first team in 2021 and two NWPC All-Tournament second team honors in 2019 and 2022 ... Had a career save % of .551 …Helped Princeton win back-to-back NWPC Championships in 2021 and 2022 including an undefeated NWPC record of 11-0 at home during the 2022 season.

Tanner McCreary – Goalie – Fullerton, Calif. – Servite HS
Graduated from Servite High School, located in Fullerton, Calif., in 2023 ... Played four years of varsity water polo ... Earned 2nd Team All-Trinity League as a senior ... Had 238 saves his senior year ... Also made the All-Trinity League 1st Team as a sophomore ... Was a member of The National Honor Society all four years of high school ... Played club with SoCal and Credo.

McCreary says he chose to attend Pepperdine because of "the prestigious coaching staff and the competitive family aspect of the team."
 
Chase Wilson - Center - New York City, N.Y. - Greenwich HS
Graduated from Greenwich High School, located in Greenwich, Conn., in 2023 … Played three years of varsity water polo ... Elected as team captain his senior year ... Named to the All-American second-team as a junior ... Has 214 career goals ... Named most improved player as a sophomore … Played for the Cadet National Team in 2021 … Also a part of The National Honors Society. 

Wilson says he chose to attend Pepperdine because "the Pepperdine culture and student body was an environment that I could easily fit into, and you can never say no to a five-minute drive from the beach."

Adam Yost - Lefty - Los Angeles, Calif. - Loyola High School 
Graduated from Loyola High School, located in Los Angeles, Calif., in 2023 … Played three years of varsity water polo ... Helped his team to a Division 1 championship as a junior ... Earned a USA Water Polo Academic All-American award in 2022 ... Also lettered on the swim team.

Yost says, "I chose to attend Pepperdine because of the sense of community, and it matched my beliefs and values as well as offering a world-class education."