2026 Men's Water Polo Roster
Roster
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Jersey Number 1
Max Smirnov
- Position:
- Goalie
- Height:
- 6-2
- Weight:
- 190
- Class:
- Junior
- Hometown:
- Petah Tikva, Israel
- High School:
- Amal Bet
2025: All-WCC Second Team selection ... WCC All-Academic Team Honorable Mention .... Appeared in 23 games during sophomore campaign ... Totaled 237 saves with a 12.65 GAA and .460 save-percentage ... Added 27 steals, 10 assists and two goals ... Made 11 saves with eight goals against and two assists to defeat Pomona-Pitzer (Aug. 30) ... Logged 10 saves with nine goals allowed and a steal to defeat No. 12 UC San Diego (Aug. 31) ... Collected 15 saves with 14 goals against versus No. 11 UC Davis (Sept. 19) ... Tabbed 14 saves with a steal to help defeat No. 9 Princeton (Sept. 21) ... Recorded 15 saves at No. 4 Stanford (Sept. 28) and No. 9 Long Beach State (Oct. 3) ... Posted 12 saves in wins over No. 13 Princeton (Oct. 12) and Air Force (Oct. 19) ... Made 10 saves with 10 goals allowed in win over No. 15 UC Irvine (Nov. 1) ... Made 13 stops with nine goals against versus CSU Fullerton (Nov. 2) ... Recorded 17 saves with seven goals allowed in win over No. 13 LMU (Nov. 8) ... Registered 10 saves with nine goals against in win at No. 17 Santa Clara (Nov. 14).
2024: Saw action in 20 games for the Waves ... Totaled 197 saves with a .503 save-percentage ... Had an 11.20 GAA to go along with 26 steals ... Made 18 saves with five goals allowed in collegiate debut against Westcliff (Sept. 7) ... Logged 11 saves with seven goals allowed to defeat CSU Fullerton (Sept. 8) ... Recorded 13 saves with seven goals allowed to defeat Westcliff (Sept. 19) ... Posted 12 saves with nine goals against to help take down No. 20 Cal Baptist (Sept. 20) ... Added 12 saves with six goals allowed to help beat CSU Fullerton (Oct. 26) ... Had 16 saves with 10 goals against in win over No. 13 San Jose State (Nov. 9).
HIGH SCHOOL: Graduated from Amal Bet High School in 2021.
CLUB: Competed for the Hapoel Petah Tikva club team from 2013-2021 … Also played for the Hapoel Qiryat Tivon club program from 2021-2023 ... Won the European Championship in 2024 … Competed in the National Israeli Cup in 2023 … Participated in the World Maccabiah Games in 2022 and earned a Senior European Championship qualification … Helped his U17 team to qualify for the European championship in 2019.
PERSONAL: Born in Petah Tikva, Israel ... Son of Yelena and Gennady Smirnov ... Has two siblings: Michael and Anastasia … Chose to attend Pepperdine because “Pepperdine has strong academics in addition to an outstanding water polo team and exceptional coaching staff. The combination of high-quality education and competitive athletics made it the perfect fit for my goals and aspirations.”
FAVORITES: Enjoys watching movies, playing sports and hanging out with friends and spending time with family ... Favorites include Cristiano Ronaldo (pro athlete), Real Madrid (pro team), Harry Potter (book), Batman (movie), Game of Thrones (TV show), Eminem (musical artist), hamburgers (food) and soccer (sport other than water polo) ... Favorite thing about water polo is “that it requires intense effort and dedication to excel. The combination of swimming and ball handling makes it both challenging and enjoyable. Additionally, it's an incredible sport played by some genuinely great individuals who bring a positive and competitive spirit to the game.”
2024: Saw action in 20 games for the Waves ... Totaled 197 saves with a .503 save-percentage ... Had an 11.20 GAA to go along with 26 steals ... Made 18 saves with five goals allowed in collegiate debut against Westcliff (Sept. 7) ... Logged 11 saves with seven goals allowed to defeat CSU Fullerton (Sept. 8) ... Recorded 13 saves with seven goals allowed to defeat Westcliff (Sept. 19) ... Posted 12 saves with nine goals against to help take down No. 20 Cal Baptist (Sept. 20) ... Added 12 saves with six goals allowed to help beat CSU Fullerton (Oct. 26) ... Had 16 saves with 10 goals against in win over No. 13 San Jose State (Nov. 9).
HIGH SCHOOL: Graduated from Amal Bet High School in 2021.
CLUB: Competed for the Hapoel Petah Tikva club team from 2013-2021 … Also played for the Hapoel Qiryat Tivon club program from 2021-2023 ... Won the European Championship in 2024 … Competed in the National Israeli Cup in 2023 … Participated in the World Maccabiah Games in 2022 and earned a Senior European Championship qualification … Helped his U17 team to qualify for the European championship in 2019.
PERSONAL: Born in Petah Tikva, Israel ... Son of Yelena and Gennady Smirnov ... Has two siblings: Michael and Anastasia … Chose to attend Pepperdine because “Pepperdine has strong academics in addition to an outstanding water polo team and exceptional coaching staff. The combination of high-quality education and competitive athletics made it the perfect fit for my goals and aspirations.”
FAVORITES: Enjoys watching movies, playing sports and hanging out with friends and spending time with family ... Favorites include Cristiano Ronaldo (pro athlete), Real Madrid (pro team), Harry Potter (book), Batman (movie), Game of Thrones (TV show), Eminem (musical artist), hamburgers (food) and soccer (sport other than water polo) ... Favorite thing about water polo is “that it requires intense effort and dedication to excel. The combination of swimming and ball handling makes it both challenging and enjoyable. Additionally, it's an incredible sport played by some genuinely great individuals who bring a positive and competitive spirit to the game.”
