ORADEA, Romania - Pepperdine water polo freshman Csanád Bella wrapped up competition at the European U18 Championships this past weekend, finishing in sixth place while representing Hungary.

The Budapest native was a bright spot for the Hungary side that went 4-2 overall in the tournament including a 3-0 mark in group play before falling in the quarterfinals.

Bella netted eight goals total in the tournament including a pair of hat tricks which propelled Hungary to a pair of wins.

His three-goal efforts came in the tournament opener against the Netherlands in a 15-11 win and against Greece in a 19-13 victory.

He went on to add a late game-tying goal in the final group play contest, a 12-11 triumph over Italy. The quarterfinals then saw a narrow 14-13 loss to Serbia to put Hungary out of contention for a medal. 

Returning in the consolation bracket, Bella added his eighth goal of the tournament in an 18-14 win over Croatia. In the fifth-place game, Hungary fell 10-7 to close out the tournament in sixth place.

Bella and the Waves open the season this weekend at the Triton Invite hosted by UC San Diego with a pair of fixtures against No. 20 Navy and Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday to begin the season.

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 60 athletes garner All-American honors while boasting a winning record in 36 of 50 seasons.

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