Three Cal Bears Named To U.S. Junior National Water Polo Team

Courtesy: Cal Athletics

Three Cal men’s water polo student-athletes have been named to the USA Junior National Team and will compete at the FINA Junior World Championship later this month in Prague, Czech Republic.

Junior goalie Adrian Weinberg, junior attacker Sam Untrecht and sophomore center George Avakian each earned a spot on the roster and are part of a 13-member team that features players from some of the top programs in the country.

This will be the second Junior World Championship appearance for Weinberg, who also minded the cage for Team USA in 2019. Weinberg earned ACWPC All-American honorable mention as a freshman and is a two-time All-MPSF honoree. He led the conference last season with 10.3 saves per game.

Avakian was an alternate on the U.S. Junior National Team in 2019 and won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2019 UANA Youth Pan American Championship in Couva, Trinidad &Tobago. Avakian had a strong freshman season with the Bears, tying for fifth on the team with 11 goals while tying for fourth in the MPSF with four field blocks.

Untrecht has scored 17 goals through his first two seasons at Cal. He also has international experience, having played for the U.S. Youth National Team at the 2018 Youth World Championships in Szombathely, Hungary.

Team USA begins Group Play on Aug. 28 against Slovakia. The Americans will also face off against Czech Republic, Spain and Serbia before the playoff bracket begins. The finals are set for Sept. 5.

The Bears open the 2021 season Sept. 4-5 at the Navy Open.  

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