MOUNT ST. MARY'S at the RARE AIR CHALLENGE at the U.S. Air Force Academy
Friday, August 29
Mount St. Mary's v. No. 20 Air Force (9:00 PM ET)
Cadet Natatorium, USAFA, Colorado
 
Saturday, August 30
Mount St. Mary's v. Biola (11:00 AM ET); Mount St. Mary's v. Redlands (6:20 PM ET)
Cadet Natatorium, USAFA, Colorado
 
Sunday, August 31
Mount St. Mary's v. No. 3 California (3:00 PM ET)
Cadet Natatorium, USAFA, Colorado
 
LIVE STREAMS | LIVE STATS       
 
EMMITSBURG, Md. (August 28, 2025) – Mount St. Mary's men's water polo opens their 2025 campaign in Colorado Springs, Colorado with a slate of four games at the United States Air Force Academy. After the 2024 season that yielded a record of 6-29, the Mountaineers will look to get on good footing as they take on Air Force, Biola, Redlands, and California during their weekend in the Centennial State.

MOUNT UPDATE 

The Mountaineers finished their 2024 season with a sixth-place finish at the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Championships, defeating Johns Hopkins by a score of 11-10 in the second round, but succumbing to Bucknell in the fifth-place game. Alexandros Belesis led the Mountaineers in 2024 with 86 goals, settling a shooting percentage of 47%. The Greek international was named to the MAWPC Second Team after recording an additional 32 assists, completed 39 steals, and recorded five field blocks. Aaron Tarr had perhaps the best all-around season for the Mountaineers in 2024, finishing the season with a 46% shooting percentage and 62 goals scored along with 63 assists, 40 steals, and 21 field blocks, earning the South African an MAWPC Honorable Mention.

Chrysostomos Valavanis continued his third year at the mount with a solid season from the hole-set, scoring 51 goals in 137 attempts on target while drawing 74 exclusions and completing eight field blocks. Along with Tarr, who was named co-captain by head coach Justin Vink, fellow co-captain Sherif Hosni has been picked to have a stellar year in goal, with the New Zealand international recording 137 saves in between the sticks in 16 games while splitting time in goal with Joseph Maxson and Vasilije Marinkovic. Freshman Ioannis Skliras has also been picked by Vink to have a standout freshman campaign. The first-year wing from Athens, Greece comes through the elite developmental academy of Panathinaikos Water Polo Club, a team that has reached the final of the Greek Cup on three occasions.

During the offseason, Vink along with new assistant coach Ivan Zivojinovic have instilled a practice culture that is meant to build an ethic around hard work and solid team chemistry. With the age maturity of the core group of players plus strong schedule that will yield some challenge, the Mountaineers will look to build on the experience of last season and the lessons learned from it.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS

The Air Force Falcons completed their 2024 season with an overall record of 13-20, going 1-5 in the West Coast Conference. Notable wins from 2024 included a 19-18 win over No. 19 Loyola Marymount, a 12-8 win over Cal State Fullerton, and a 23-9 win over LIU. Tom Leggett led the Falcons with 143 goals, notching 183 points on his was to being named a ACWPC Third-Team All-American. In goal, Luca Smith recorded 243 saves for Air Force in 32 games played.

Biola finished their 2024 campaign with a 12-21 record, posting a Western Water Polo Association conference record of 2-2. Notable wins included a 15-9 win over Fresno Pacific, a 13-8 win over UC Merced, and a 15-6 win over McKendree in the WWPC Championships. Joshua Dachenhausen recorded 103 saves in goal for the Eagles while Caleb Hernandez recorded 22 goals and 36 assists.

Redlands recorded an overall record of 18-12 while going 10-2 in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Notable wins for the Bulldogs last year included an 18-12 win over No. 5 MIT, a 17-5 win over No. 5 Cal Lutheran, and a 16-9 win over Fresno Pacific. Top returns for Redlands include Troy Baker, who recorded 30 saves in seven games for the Bulldogs as well as Harrison DeCourcy, who scored 19 goals in 30 games for the team in 2024.

California finished the 2024 season with a 12-13 record, posting a 1-5 record in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. The Golden Bears defeated Augustana 23-8 in the first round of the MPSF Championships but fell in succession to No. 1 UCLA and No. 2 Stanford, outscored 30-19 across the second and third rounds. Top returners for the Californians include Riley Clansen who made 87 saves in goal and Will Kelly, who scored 22 goals for the Golden Bears in 2024.

ALL-TIME RECORD

The Mountaineers are 0-2 in their match ups with Air Force, losing to the Falcons 18-10 in their last meeting on October 5, 2024. In their match ups with Biola, Mount St. Mary's retains a record of 2-3, losing against the Eagles two times last season. This weekend will play host to the first games between Redlands and California in Mount program history.