Could see Mirkovic, Gray Carson, Jack Vort, and others come back for a 5th year
true…and why did this just come out with students going back in approx 20 days???
To me, this is the fair thing to do. That being said, I would assume a lot of the kids that graduated in May/June joined the workforce or decided to hit graduate school. Be surprised if this was that impactful for water polo. Probably has more of an impact for folks whose best earning years might be the sport they are playing in college.
I believe Carson signed a pro contract in Europe already.
Disagree. This is chaos. Two weeks ago, the rules were different. Now there is five years of eligibility, but it is via temporary injunction that will expire and for which an appeal is already being constructed. We’re three weeks out and nobody knows what the rules will be. It could be this. It could be that. How much effort should be put into building a program around Schrodinger’s cat?
Pass a new set of rules that give 4 years of High School eligibility, 2 years of JC eligibility, and 4 years of university eligibility. If the 2022 kids want another year, no problem, but they’ll need to find some classes at a JC.
1 Like
To me though, it has always felt that one class of kids was getting a little hosed. I agree with your point about this creating a ton of chaos across other sports.
That being said, I just don’t see it having that big an impact for a sport like water polo. Most teams that have a chance of competing are starting summer trips next week (or have already started). Full on preseason starts in two weeks. Rosters are pretty locked already.
Plus, I would assume most water polo players were focused on getting a good job upon graduating from college. Where I think the chaos happens is in football and basketball where you have kids on NIL who this last year might be meaningful from a lifetime earnings perspective.
1 Like
Who were some of the more impactful class of 2022 mens players? We don’t have a class of 2022 spreadsheet. NCAA is so whacked it is hard to know if last years seniors were anywhere from class of 2017 to 2022.
The judge granted an “injunction that requires the NCAA to declare eligible all high school class of 2022 athletes who exhausted four seasons of eligibility this spring,” and not to prior classes. I agree with WaterPoloTrevor that this is the fair thing to do. Do you think the NCAA just cooked up this idea in June? No, it was discussed during the previous school year. My guess is they chose to cut off the 2022 HS class to make room for incoming recruits in the new, shrinking-roster world we live in. Football, especially. And it shouldn’t bring chaos because the ruling doesn’t require programs to automatically take the athletes for a fifth year. The plaintiffs also asked for the roster limit rule to be suspended. If the judge granted that part of their request, then we might have chaos. I disagree with Marco’s suggestion because it ignores the issue 5 for 5 is trying to address: athletes playing at 23, 24, 25, and beyond. You can blame the NCAA or the courts, but imo Congress has dropped the ball.
Anyone have any update on if 2022’s are going to able to play?
Here are the 2021 California/Hawaii boys’ water polo All-American teams. The Class-of-2022 graduates (shown as being in the 12th grade in the following list) are potentially affected by the U.S. district court judge’s order. Some of these athletes were already eligible to play during the 2026 season because they had a redshirt year.
1st Team
Ben Liechty Newport Harbor 11
Mason Hunt Newport Harbor 12
James Rozolis-Hill Huntington Beach 12
Logan McCarroll Mater Dei 12
Ilias Stothart Harvard Westlake 12
Nikola Mirkovic Huntington Beach 12
Gavin West Sacred Heart Prep 12
Luke Johnston Sacred Heart Prep 12
Griffen Price Sacred Heart Prep 12 (G)
Carsten Peters De La Salle 11
Marton Szatmary Cathedral Catholic, SD 12
2nd Team
Peter Castillo Newport Harbor 10
Vincent Merk Mater Dei 12
John Burghardt Harvard Westlake 11
Reed Pantaleon Orange Lutheran 12
Noah Rowe Foothill 12
Gabriel Haddad Huntington Beach 12 (G)
William Kelly Laguna Beach 12
Greg Hilderbrand Menlo 12
Donovan Davidson Miramonte 12
Brody Crouch Campolindo 12
Garrett Johnson The Bishop’s 12
3rd Team
Carter Loth Mater Dei 11
Gage Verdergaal Newport Harbor 12
Ryder Dodd Huntington Beach 10
Chris Arakelian Harvard Westlake 11
Leo Giessmann Orange Lutheran 12
Jack Matos Foothill 12
Colby Hatton Buchanan 12
Keegan Moore Jesuit 11
West Temkin Campolindo 12 (G)
Ryder Hagan Monte Vista 12
Gavin Olson La Jolla 12
4th Team
Sai Bassett Laguna Beach 11
Cooper Mathisrud Newport Harbor 11 (G)
Luke Redoutey Mater Dei 12
Trey Rogers Loyola 12
Christopher Wazzan Loyola 12
Zachary Bettino Huntington Beach 11
Jack Vort Sacred Heart Prep 12
Mac Berry Archie Williams 11
Thomas Walker Bellarmine 12
Mark Stone The Bishop’s 12
Stryker Scales Punahou 11
5th Team
Finn Genc Newport Harbor 11
Nathan Tauscher Mater Dei 11 (G)
Daniel Mnatsakanian Harvard Westlake 11
Thomas Leggett Oaks Christian 12
Gray Carson Long Beach Wilson 12
Peiro Arienti San Ramon Valley 12
Chase Nearn Clovis North 12
Hank Wildenradt Rocklin 12
Cooper Wiens Soquel 12
Bennett Axline Cathedral Catholic, SD 12
Jaime Bhattacharyya Mid-Pacific Institute 11
6th Team
Donnie Robertson Orange Lutheran 12
Frank Laptin Laguna Beach 12 (G)
Caleb Francisco Los Alamitos 12
Bernardo Herzer Mira Costa 12 (G)
Zach Cwertnia Santa Margarita 12 (G)
Ryan Drake Santa Barbara 12
Jack Richards De La Salle 11
Tommy Kiesling Menlo 11
Charlie Mills Redwood 11 (G)
Chase Landa The Bishop’s 11
Emile Labrador Punahou 11
7th Team
Will Sanchez Loyola 11
Nehemiah Pavoggi Oaks Christian 10 (G)
Billy Rankin Newport Harbor 12
Finneas Palcza Huntington Beach 10
Ryan McManigal Mater Dei 12
Jaxson Tierney Harvard Westlake 11
Luca Rago Campolindo 12
Caleb Hernandez Valley Christian 12
Zachary Whitfield Arroyo Grande 11
Chris Nihart Granite Bay 12
Jack Hightower Cathedral Catholic, SD 12
8th Team
Riley Clansen Foothill 11 (G)
Holden Seybold Laguna Beach 12
Wade Sherlock Orange Lutheran 11
Nolan Roberts Loyola 11
Aidan Olson Palos Verdes 11
Charlie Engs Miramonte 11
Chase Barman Bellarmine 11
Rory Begin Garces 12
Jonathon Vochatzer Davis 12
Finn Bugelli La Jolla 11
Nash Brandon Kamehameha 12
9th Team
Landon Ankerstrom Mater Dei 11
Matthew Morgan Huntington Beach 12
Reef Lippa Foothill 12
Toring Stanley Yorba Linda 12
Zac Crenshaw Long Beach Wilson 12
Sean O’Brien Santa Barbara 12
Charlie Donlin St. Mary’s 12
Chase McFarland Berkeley 12
Christian Braum Rocklin 12 (G)
Oliver Price The Bishop’s 11
Noa Clark Punahou 12
10th Team
Baxter Chelsom Harvard Westlake 11 (G)
Nicholas Hoffs Laguna Beach 12
Jonathon Carcarey Orange Lutheran 11
Luca Smith Redlands East Valley 12 (G)
Camren Sinoncelli Corona Del Mar 10
Logan Puhl Los Osos 12
Tim Mansheim Buchanan 12
Terence O’Donnell St. Francis 11
Charlie Davis Monte Vista 11
Anthony Benedetti Ponderosa 11
Aiden Day Cathedral Catholic, SD 12
Keale Fukumitsu Kamehameha 12
Honorable Mention
Collin White Damien 11
Franco Scalamandre Oaks Christian 12
Nick Keane Los Alamitos 11
Spencer Averitt Santa Margarita 11
Tristan Wattson Palos Verdes 12
Steven Rubly Servite 11
Nick Lindsey San Juan Hills 12
Julian Chow Palo Alto 11
Jake Tsotadze Sacred Heart Prep 11
Jordan Northcutt Garces 12
Ryan Pheifer Davis 12
Tim Kerr San Ramon Valley 11
Keifer Black La Jolla 11
Max Stone The Bishop’s 11
Mason Merritt Vista 11
Lukas Peabody The Bishop’s 10
Kyler Saoit Punahou 11 (G)
Excellent. Thanks for sharing. There are definitely several impact players on that list from 12th grade at that time. It is interesting to see how those further down the list stand out more than many at the top. I assume a lot had moved on with their careers, etc., but there could be a few that hang on for one more semester.
The latest update blocks anyone who has signed a pro contract from coming back. It will be interesting since it is so late in the preparation process for many teams. If you take a deep dive at rosters from last season, looking for true seniors, they are the only ones in this discussion. Some schools have many some have 1.
Pulling updates from an On3 article published today.
- The NCAA’s chief legal officer has issued a clarification to schools over a recent court ruling that made some high school class of 2022 athletes eligible for the 2026-27 athletics season.
- In addition, the NCAA was clear that the court injunction only applies to student athletes “who began to play in collegiate sports in the 2022-23 season, competed in NCAA Division I sports, and completed four years of eligibility as defined by the NCAA’s prior rules by the conclusion of the 2025-26 season.”
- The NCAA clarification also notes that the injunction did not enjoin any aspects of the House Settlement or Division I transfer rules. Roster limits and revenue share cap remain in effect, as do transfer rules.
- Crucially, that means that any athlete who was not already in the transfer portal cannot simply enter the transfer portal now. They would be restricted to returning to play for their previous school, should the school have space available.
- Any school taking in a “ghost transfer,” or a player that did not enter the portal in the designated window, will have its head coach suspended for 50% of the regular season. The program will also be fined.
If I’m reading this correctly, it’s not possible to have completed four years of eligibility AND be in the transfer portal, right? If so, then these athletes can’t transfer and can only return to their previous school. Does anyone see this differently?
Also, last year Princeton had 22 players, Harvard had 14, and Brown had 20. I know the Ivy League did not sign on to the House Agreement, but is it possible for Princeton seniors (Ohl, Johnston, McCarroll), Harvard seniors (Furtak and Hunt), and Brown seniors (Stothart, Hadar, and Newman) to return under this injunction?
I read it as you did; you may only play for prior school. But I’m no lawyer.
As for the Ivies, the league has its own rules limiting play to eight semesters as one pursues their first undergraduate degree. So they would not be able to play at those schools. Also, roster size is not a factor since they are not athletic scholarship granting institutions, which made the House Settlement inapplicable to them and why they didn’t join in.
An interesting case may be JRH (his freshman year was ‘22) now at Stanford. He left Harvard after getting his degree last year but only used three years of eligibility. Maybe he gets yet another year with this change? I don’t know if any other players are in this situation, but I can’t think it’s many - if any at all.
If there are other Ivy League grads that are now playing their fifth years elsewhere as graduate students, this would also not seem to apply.
he would not get more than 5 years he can choose the old model 4 in 5, or the new model 5 in 5, either way he is done after this year.
1 Like
If player graduate, do they technically enter the portal? A player who graduated in 4 years can simply enroll in a new school? Granted, there may be other missed deadlines, but let’s face it, it’s the Wild West.
Re: JRH, his 4th year at Harvard counts towards the 5 even though he didn’t play. 1 year at Stanford, only. He was always eligible for a 5th under the new rules as he only played 3, just like HS’22 grads who redshirted.
This 5 in 5 rule should help the Ivies recruit. Kudos to JRH for making his own plan work, but now you can go to an Ivy, get a degree in 4 years, and have a 5th year to go chase a ring, play with buddies, and/or get into a graduate program at one of the other top institutions with a polo team. If you are chasing an Olympic dream, I’d get going to big 4, but if you are likely to get limited play time your first few years, and you have Ivy-level academics, I think kids will more strongly cosider the Ivies.
My understanding is that graduate students don’t have to enter the transfer portal. Therefore, a Class-of-2022 high school graduate who played 4 years of college water polo could enroll in a graduate school and play this season. As you point out, the school would have to overlook its normal application deadlines but stranger things have happened. I don’t know whether West Temkin has any interest in playing a 5th season but Fordham would have a legitimate chance at making the NCAA finals with him in the goal. Nik Mirkovic would look pretty good playing a 5th year at Cal.
1 Like
Found an update to the transfer rules from 2024, so not entirely sure if this still holds true in 2026.
Division I Council approves changes to transfer rules
“Moving forward, student-athletes are expected to enter the Transfer Portal within their sport’s notification-of-transfer windows, which Division I members emphasized are important for providing transparency to student-athletes and coaches for recruitment opportunities, roster management and financial aid planning. There will continue to be exceptions to the legislated transfer windows, including for the departure of a head coach or a discontinued sport. Student-athletes who plan to enroll as graduate students at their next school can enter the portal at any time during the academic year but must enter the portal prior to the conclusion of their respective sports’ final transfer windows.”
It’s very possible this injunction will be considered an exception to the legislated transfer window, so these eligible students will be able to enroll in a graduate school and play this season.
the question would be, who has roster spots left, who would risk bringing anyone in from the outside 3 weeks prior to the season. They would need to learn an entire new system in three weeks. I could see it working for a goalie, or a returning player to the same team.