No. 20 Men’s Water Polo Commences Season with Bruno Classic

Saturday, September 7

Providence, RI

8:30 AM

Brown University

Wagner College

No. 20 Men’s Water Polo Commences Season with Bruno Classic

9/5/2019 10:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo

Tournament Central

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – No. 20 Brown University men's water polo begins its 2019 season with six games from Saturday, Sept. 7 to Sunday, Sept. 8 as the Bears host the eighth annual Bruno Classic at the Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center.

The Bears open the year with four games on Saturday, facing Wagner (8:30 a.m.), McKendree (12:30 p.m.), Cal Lutheran (4:15 p.m.), and Conn. College (8:00 p.m.) before taking on No. 16 Bucknell (9:45 a.m.) and No. 16 California Baptist (2:00 p.m.) on Sunday.

FOLLOW THE BEARS
Bruno Classic: Tournament Central
Saturday Video (ESPN+): Vs. Wagner | Vs. McKendree | Vs. Cal Lutheran | Vs. Conn. College
Sunday Video (ESPN+): Vs. Bucknell | Vs. California Baptist
On Twitter: @brownwaterpolo | @BrownAthletics
On Facebook: Brown Water Polo | Brown Athletics
Via Hashtag: #GoBruno

IVY LEAGUE ON ESPN
Video of all 19 games at the Bruno Classic, including the 15 games played at Brown and the four games played at Harvard, will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Fans can subscribe and view games by purchasing a monthly package for $4.99 or a yearly package for $49.99.

STREAMING UPGRADES
Brown water polo is set to feature a number of enhancements to its live video streaming for the 2019-20 academic year beginning with the men's Bruno Classic from Sept. 7-8 at the Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center. This year's broadcasts on ESPN+ will feature multiple camera angles and replays alongside an enhanced graphic package and score bug. For all contests involving Brown, the streams will also feature broadcasting talent.

THE EIGHTH ANNUAL BRUNO CLASSIC
The eighth annual Bruno Classic comprises 10 teams, including the Bears, playing 19 games over two days with Harvard hosting four of the tournament's games. Day one will feature 10 games, and day two will comprise nine games. Four of the 10 teams earned a spot in the CWPA preseason rankings.

The field includes No. 20 Brown, No. 16 Bucknell, No. 16 California Baptist, Cal Lutheran, Conn. College, No. 11 Harvard, McKendree, MIT, St. Francis Brooklyn, and Wagner.

LOOKING BACK AT 2018
In 2018, Brown featured four All-NWPC performers in Travis Bouscaren '19 (Cambridge, Mass.), Armen Deirmenjian '20 (Beverly Hills, Calif., Hudson Rawlings '20 (Murrieta, Calif.), and Riad Hallal '21 (Coronado, Calif.) with Bouscaren and Deirmenjian both earning ACWPC All-America accolades. The Bears concluded the year with an 18-14 record, marking their ninth straight season with 18 or more wins.

RETURNING STAT LEADERS
Brown returns five student-athletes that scored 20 or more goals a season ago including senior Armen Deirmenjian (Beverly Hills, Calif,) who totaled 46 goals, 38 assists, 46 steals, and 37 ejections drawn.

Senior Hudson Rawlings (Murrieta, Calif.) posted 38 goals, 33 assists 30 steals, and 59 ejections drawn last season while fellow senior James Thygesen (Menlo Park, Calif.) notched 39 goals, 30 assists, and 21 steals. Junior Aidan Reilly (Los Angeles, Calif.) contributed 34 goals, 31 assists, and 29 steals, and sophomore Matt Simko (Coral Gables, Fla.) added 21 goals and 65 ejections drawn.

In the cage, junior goalkeeper Riad Hallal (Coronado, Calif.) made 158 saves on a 51.0 save percentage while sophomore net-minder Ugo Piovan (Vouliagmeni, Greece) blocked 177 shots on a 48.4 save percentage. Each goalie stopped double-figure shots in seven games apiece.

THE NEWCOMERS
The Bears welcome four incoming freshmen to the program in 2019. The group includes attacker Cole Atwell (San Diego, Calif.), attacker Leo Berkman (Orinda, Calif.), center defender Nick Berry (San Anselmo, Calif.), and center defender Maxwell Patterson (Portola Valley, Calif.).

UNDER COACH MERCADO
Brown head coach Felix Mercado enters his 13^th season as the leader of Brown University's men's and women's water polo teams in 2019-20 having coached 23 all-conference performers and 12 All-Americans on the men's side alone during his time with the Bears. He holds a 260-123 record with the Bears' men's team.

UP NEXT
Following the Bruno Classic, Brown will compete at the Princeton Invitational with match-ups against Wagner (Sept. 14, 9:15 a.m.), Navy (Sept. 14, 2:15 p.m.), No. 15 George Washington (Sept. 15, 10:30 a.m.), and No. 16 Bucknell (Sept. 15, 2:15 p.m.).