MALIBU, Calif. — Pepperdine water polo sophomore Erik Ionescu has been named an Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) Third Team All-American, announced today. In addition, senior Sandor Gal and graduate student Matty Walsh each received ACWPC All-American Honorable Mention recognition.

The trio helped the Waves to a 17-11 record this season which featured 11 victories over ranked opponents and a trip to the WCC Semifinals. The Waves help a top-10 ranking throughout the majority of the season and finished as the No. 9 ranked team in the nation.

It marks back-to-back years in which Gal has received honorable mention laurels from the ACWPC. The Waves have now seen eight different athletes earn All-American recognition over the past three seasons and 117 times overall following this season's announcement.

ACWPC Third Team All-American
Erik Ionescu, Sophomore, Attacker (Budapest, Hungary)
Ionescu led the Waves with 100 points this season through 57 goals and 43 assists. An All-WCC Preseason Team selection, he went on to earn Second Team All-WCC honors. Ionescu scored multiple goals in 18 of his 27 appearances this season. He posted 11 games this season with at least five points, which included key ranked wins over UC Santa Barbara, Long Beach State, LMU and in the WCC Semifinal against San Jose State. Ionescu added 15 steals and nine field blocks on the campaign and earned a WCC Player of the Week honor in November. Overall, Ionescu was fifth in the WCC with 100 points and 10th with 57 goals.

ACWPC All-American Honorable Mention
Sandor Gal, Senior, Attacker (Budapest, Hungary)
Gal ranked second on the team with 96 points this season via 46 goals and 50 assists. The senior also paced the Waves in field blocks with 21 and ranked second on the team with 29 steals. Gal registered multiple points in 23 of 28 games this season including 14 efforts with at least four points. Gal ended this season with 46 points across his final 12 games, earning WCC All-Tournament Team honors following 10 points in two games at the WCC Championships. An All-WCC Honorable Mention honoree, Gal ranked sixth in the WCC in points, fourth in assists and first in field blocks.

Matty Walsh, Graduate Student, Attacker (Laguna Beach, Calif.)
Walsh led the Waves this season with 58 goals on 104 shots, as the Waves' most efficient scorer. Scoring in 26 of 28 games on the season, Walsh scored multiple goals in 14 of 17 games to close out the campaign,while totaling 19 multi-goal efforts on the season. His 59 tallies ranked eighth in the West Coast Conference this season, as he ended as an All-WCC Honorable Mention honoree. Walsh added six assists, 23 steals and eight field blocks on the season.
 

Men's Division I 2025 All America
Player of the Year	Ryder Dodd, University of California, Los Angeles
Coach of the Year	Adam Wright, University of California, Los Angeles
Assistant Coach of the Year	Jason Falitz, University of California, Los Angeles
First Team
Andras Toth	Fordham University
Gianpiero Di Martire	Stanford University
Chase Dodd	University of California, Los Angeles
Frederico Jucá Carsalade	University of California, Los Angeles
Ryder Dodd	University of California, Los Angeles
Mihajo Vukazic	University of Southern California
Robert Lopez Duart	University of Southern California
Brendon Gyapjas	San Jose State University
Second Team
Luca Provenziani	Fordham University
Samu Biros	San Jose State University
Botond Balogh	Stanford University
Ben Liechty,	University of California, Los Angeles
Beso Akhvlediani	University of California, Berkeley
Strahinja Krstic	University of Southern California
Tom Leggett	US Air Force Academy
West Temkin	Stanford University
Third Team
Andrea Nuzzo	California Baptist University
Erik Ionescu	Pepperdine University
Logan McCarroll	Princeton University
Riccardo De Simon	Santa Clara University
Alex Gheorghe	Stanford University
Tommy Kiesling	University of California, Davis
Apostolos Georgaras	University of the Pacific
Charls Mills	University of Southern California
Honorable Mention
Jaxson Tierney	Brown University
Alex Righetti	California Baptist University
Balazs Berenyi	Fordham University
Barnabas Eppel	Fordham University
Luca Silvestri	Fordham University
Jack Burghardt	Harvard University
Lukas Peabody	Harvard University
Tyler Hogan	Harvard University
Rastko Jevdjovic	Iona University
Caleb Francisco	Long Beach State University
Gabi Acosta	Long Beach State University
Abel Romero	Loyola Marymount Univeresity
Tommaso Baldinetti	Loyola Marymount Univeresity
Aaron Tarr	Mount St. Mary's University
Sandor Gal	Pepperdine University
Matty Walsh	Pepperdine University
Gavin Appeldorn	Princeton University
Taylor Bell	Princeton University
Laszlo Szieben	San Jose State University
Mateja Bosic	San Jose State University
Sam Keightley	San Jose State University
Henry Engs	Santa Clara University
Will Schneider	Stanford University
Adonis Vlassis	The George Washington University
Kiefer Black	US Naval Academy
Bennett Axline	University of California, San Diego
Peter Castillo	University of California, Los Angeles
Brock Zamanian	University of California, Santa Barbara
Nik Mirkovic	University of California, Berkeley
Albert Ponferrada	University of California, Berkeley
Stefan Brankovic	University of Southern California
Borisz Kasa-Gal	University of the Pacific
Ori Buzaglo	University of the Pacific
Jack Richards	US Air Force Academy
Laszlo Strasser	Wagner College
Smith Connors	Wagner College
Kristof Kovacs	Princeton University
Aran Pina	University of California, Berkeley
Levi Lentin	University of California, Santa Barbara

 

ABOUT PEPPERDINE WATER POLO
Pepperdine water polo has seen success spanning decades under Terry Schroeder who gave the reins to Merrill Moses following the 2023 season. Highlighted by its national championship in 1997 with Moses as the starting goalie, the Waves have reached the NCAA Tournament on 13 occasions and recently won the inaugural WCC Regular Season Championship in 2023. Overall, the program has seen 67 athletes garner All-American honors while boasting a winning record in 37 of 51 seasons.

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