Men's Water Polo Celebrates Season at Annual Banquet

Posted: Jan 27, 2004

Jan. 25, 2004

Senior Daniel Figoni was named a co-MVP by his teammates.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Senior Daniel Figoni and redshirt junior Kenny Flanagan-De La Hoz were named the team's co-most valuable players, one of many awards handed out at the Santa Clara University men's water polo annual banquet Sunday evening at the Benson Center on campus.

Second-year head coach Keith Wilbur hosted the affair, set to honor the team's graduating seniors and to thank the Bronco fans and supporters for a memorable season, in which SCU tied for the most victories in a single season and posted the program's second winning mark, with a 17-13 record. The Broncos also earned a national ranking for the first time since 1999 and finished the season ranked 19th.

"I've never coached a group of guys that play together as well as these guys do," Wilbur opened. "Practices were intense, but at the same time, the guys supported each other and were good friends. Their work ethic and camaraderie translated into many big wins this year. Having a team like this is the best part of coaching."

Redshirt junior Kenny Flanagan-De La Hoz was named co-MVP by his teammates.

Figoni, an All-Western Water Polo Association second team honoree, was also a team captain, and led the team with 75 goals. His 24 assists were second on the team, and he also recorded 26 steals. Flanagan-De La Hoz also had an outstanding season, leading the team with 71 kick outs drawn. Also a team captain, he had 57 steals and 56 goals, both marks second best on the squad.

"Dan has one of the best outside shots in the college game; he has a cannon for an arm," Wilbur said. "But he's more than that shot, he's a great all-around player whose leadership positively influenced our whole team. We're going to miss having him on the team next year.

"Kenny has exceeded all of my expectations," Wilbur continued. "He has an unbelievable work ethic, great game sense, and plays his best under pressure. He plays with so much heart that he will always out-work, out-scrap, and out-hustle his opponent. He does whatever it takes to win and he does it every game. He was key to the success of our team this year."

Peter Moore received the team's Coaches Award.

Junior goalkeeper Peter Moore followed his 2002 MVP honor as this year's Coaches Award recipient, as he had another excellent year, protecting the Bronco net across all 30 contests, and averaging 9.9 saves per game while only allowing an average 7.21 goals per game.

"Peter is a top-tier Division I goalie," Wilbur described. "In every big win we had, you can look at Pete and say we couldn't have done it without him in the cage."

Freshman Kevin Starry started every contest this year, and played remarkable defense as the team's primary two-meter defender. He led the team in two categories, posting 65 steals and 28 assists and was honored as the squad's most valuable defensive performer.

"It's hard for me to put into words how well Kevin played in 2M defense, but I think everybody who saw us play knows how big his contributions to the team were this year," Wilbur added. "In every game, Kevin basically shut down the other team's best player."

Freshman Kevin Stary was voted Defensive MVP.

Wilbur also took a moment to thank a few very supportive fans and parents. Nora Sweeney, Austin Brizgys' mother, put together a highlight video that captured the team's season. The team's graduating seniors are Figoni and Logan Gee.