Seven Broncos Earn ACWPC All-Academic Awards

March 24, 2009

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Seven Santa Clara University men's water polo players earned the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) 2008 All-Academic Award as announced on Monday. Academic honors were given to water polo student-athletes with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) above a 3.20, and were split into three categories: outstanding, superior and excellent.

The Broncos were led by senior Matt Alder, who earned outstanding honors for posting a team-leading 3.89 GPA. ACWPC outstanding honors are given to GPA's ranging from 4.00-3.71.

Fellow graduating senior Andrew Fitch, sophomores Stephen Hobbs, Mitchell Klipa and Joshua Luebke, and freshman Michael Wishart earned superior honors for having a GPA range of 3.70-3.41. Rounding out the honorees was junior Liam Farrell, who earned excellent honors with a 3.38 cumulative GPA. Excellent honors are given to student-athletes with GPA's ranging from 3.40-3.20.

"I am very proud that seven of our players earned academic honors," said Bronco head coach Keith Wilbur who is entering his eighth year in 2009. "They exemplify what it means to be student-athletes; they work hard both at their sport and in their studies. We reached our team goal of having a cumulative GPA above a 3.00, which is a great feat for us."

Junior Jack Wall earned his second career All-America honor this past season, as he was named an Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) Honorable Mention selection. Wall, who was also an All-America Honorable Mention honoree in 2006, was the first Bronco to earn All-America honors under Wilbur.

As a team, the Broncos had both a successful season in the pool and in the classroom, including opening the brand-new Sullivan Aquatic Center in late October.

Santa Clara remained in the top-20 national rankings throughout the 2008 season. They reached as high as No. 12 for four consecutive weeks, and concluded the season with a No. 15 national ranking and a fourth-place finish at the WWPA Championships. Outside the pool, the Broncos collectively finished the Fall Quarter with a cumulative GPA above a 3.00.