Fordham University Men's Water Polo

- 2024 ACWPC Division I Coach of the Year - 2021, 2022, 2023, & 2024 MAWPC Champions - 2024 NCAA Championship semifinalist - 2021, 2022, 2023, & 2024 NCAA Championship Berth - 2022, 2023, & 2024 MAWPC Coach of the Year - 2021 MAWPC East Division Coach of the Year - 2019 MAWPC East Division Co-Coach of the Year Brian Bacharach, a 2006 All-American and national champion at Cal-Berkeley, has spent over a decade with the Fordham water polo program.  After five years as an assistant coach, one season as Associate Head Coach and Co-Head Coach, Bacharach was promoted to Head Coach in May of 2020 by then Fordham athletic director David Roach.   "I am honored and humbled to be promoted to this position and want to thank Coach Harris and the entire administration for putting their faith in me to carry Fordham water polo into the future," said Bacharach.  "This transition plan was put together by Coach Harris several years ago, wholeheartedly embraced by all those in the administration. Coach Harris has been a great mentor and I am thrilled that we will continue to work together." Bacharach has pushed Fordham water polo into the national scene guiding the Rams to four consecutive MAWPC championships and four berths in the NCAA Championship.  The 2024 season set the new program standard for Fordham water polo, reaching the National Collegiate Championship semifinals.  The Rams went undefeated through the regular season, the lone team in the NCAA to do so, ending the year with a 32-1 record and became the first non-California school to reach #1 in the national top 20 poll.  For Bacharach, he was named the ACWPC Division I Coach of teh Year, while also receiving the MAWPC Coach of the Year and received Coach of the MAWPC Championship. Individually, Fordham had five players earn All-America honors in 2024, highlighted by Luca Provenziani becoming the team's first-ever First Team All-America selection by the AWCPC.  Thomas Lercari, the 2024 MAWPC MVP, and George Papanikolaou were named Third Team All-America with Lucas Nieto Jasny and Andras Toth receiving Honorable Mention All-America.  In addition to the program record 32 wins, the Rams also blew away team records for total goals (667), assists (533), and points (1200). The work put in by Bacharach began to pay off in 2021, as Fordham captured its first-ever MAWPC Championship and earned its first berth into the NCAA Championship, posting a school record 26 wins.  The 2021 season saw the Rams receive a number of awards, led by Honorable Mention All-American Hans Zdolsek, who was the league's MVP and the most outstanding player of the MAWPC Championship.  George Papanikolaou was also an Honorable Mention All-American and was the MAWPC Rookie of the Year, while Thomas Lercari was named Rookie of the MAWPC Championship.  The Rams also saw four players earn First Team All-MAWPC East honors (Zdolsek, Papanikolaou, Jacopo Parrella, Bailey O'Mara).  Bacharach was also named the MAWPC Coach of the Year. The Rams followed that with another MAWPC Championship season in 2022 and a second trip to the NCAA Championship.  The team also tied the school record for wins in a season (26), went undefeated in league play at 16-0, and were ranked in the national top 20 all season long.  Bacharach earned MAWPC Coach of the Year honors for the second straight season and was selected as the Elite Men's Coach Award winner for the Northeast Zone by USA Water Polo, which put him as a candidate for the Monte Nitzkowski Award for National Elite Men's Coach Award.  Individually, Bacharach saw five players earn All-MAWPC honors in 2022, led by Nir Gross, who was the league MVP and an ACWPC Third Team All-American, and George Papanikolaou, who was First Team All-MAWPC and an ACWPC Honorable Mention All-American. In 2023, Fordham picked up its third consecutive MAWPC Championship and NCAA Championship berth.  The Rams once again went undefeated in MAWPC play and were ranked all season long, finishing the year at #12.  Bacharach earned his second straight MAWPC Coach of the Year, as well as picking up the Coach of the MAWPC Championship award.  Individually, three Rams earned All-MAWPC honors, led by George Papanikolaou, who as the League MVP and an ACWPC Third Team All-American, while Luca Silvestri was First Team All-MAWPC and an ACWPC Honorable Mention All-American.  Additionally, Balazs Berenyi received national acclaim, receiving the Elite 90™ Award for the 2023 NCAA Division I Men's Water Polo Championship.  The Elite 90 is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA's championships. Since Bacharach joined the staff, the Rams have seen sustained success, posting eight winning seasons (2015-17, 2019, 2021-24), 10 straight full seasons of at least 16 wins (2014-19, 2021-24), and a consistent position in the national polls.  The team has also been recognized by the NCAA for its Academic Progress Rate (APR) score eight times. "From the great staff that helps our student-athletes internally to the very supportive alumni community, we are all eager to continue our climb to be one of the best teams on the east coast. Our student-athletes work hard in both the classroom and pool to achieve the high standard that has been set. It is incredibly rewarding to be able to help these players achieve those goals and go on to be great members of society," said Bacharach. Prior to the championship season, the Fordham water polo team's 2019 season saw the Rams become a top 20 nationally-ranked program.  The Rams posted 24 wins, five of which were over ranked opponents, and reached as high as #16 in the polls for a portion of the season.  The duo of Bacharach and Harris were named the MAWPC East Coach of the Year and had three players named Honorable Mention All-Americans by the ACWPC.  In 2017, Bacharach helped the Rams to their first national ranking since the 1980s, and a fourth place finish at the MAWPC Championship.  Individually, three Rams earned MAWPC All-East Division honors with Massimiliano Mirarchi and Jake Miller-Tolt earning First Team honors with Mirarchi also being named Rookie of the Year, while Alex Jahns picked up Second Team honors.  Mirarchi was also an ACWPC All-America Honorable Mention selection.  The team was also recognized by the NCAA for its Academic Progress Rate (APR) score for the fifth time, while ten Rams were named to the ACWPC All-Academic Team. The Rams followed that up with another fourth place finish in the MAWPC Championship in 2018, led by Miller-Tolt earning ACWPC All-America Honorable Mention accolades after becoming the second Ram ever to have 100 goals in a single season.  He also earned First Team MAWPC All-East Division, while teammates Ian Watson and Bailey O'Mara garnered Second Team accolades. 2016 saw the team finished third at the inaugural MAWPC Championship, while having a pair of MAPWC honorees as R.J. Simmons was named First Team All-East Division, while Miller-Tolt was Second Team All-East Division.  In addition, seven Rams were honored ACWPC All-Academic and the MAWPC Scholar-Athlete Awards.  In his first year on the staff in 2013, Bacharach helped lead Fordham back to the CWPA Championship, earning its first berth in three years.  Individually, three Fordham players earned CWPA All-Northern Division honors, led by Nicholas Allen and Ori Raz, who both scored at least 50 goals on the season, while goalkeeper Noah LeBeau made a career-high 291 saves. In year two, the Rams once again appeared at the CWPA Championship, earning an at-large berth.  Individually, two players earned CWPA All-Northern Division honors with LeBeau garnering First Team status and R.J. Simmons receiving Second Team honors. Prior to Fordham, Bacharach wrapped up a stint as an assistant coach at Loyola Marymount, where he helped guide the Lions to the 2010 Western Water Polo Association Conference Championship. Bacharach finished his career at Cal with 141 career goals, including a team-best two in the 2006 NCAA National Championship, which Cal defeated USC. It was the Bears 12th national title and Bacharach was one of the Bears' team captains for the second consecutive season. As a senior for the Bears in 2006, he was a ACWPC Honorable Mention All-American, as well as an MPSF All-Academic and a ACWPC All-Academic selection. For his career, he was a four-time MPSF All-Academic and ACWPC All-Academic selection. After graduating Cal in the spring of 2007, Bacharach went on to play professionally in Australia for the Cronulla Sharks. In the fall of 2007, he returned to De La Salle High School, this time as a teacher and coach. He taught math and psychology while also serving as assistant varsity coach for the boys' water polo team through the spring of 2009. He helped De La Salle earn NCS Runner-up honors in 2008, while claiming EBAL League title in 2008 and 2009. In addition to his teaching duties, Bacharach ran the men's side of the Diablo Water Polo Club of Moraga, California, for three years (2007-09), leading the 18-under team to its three highest finishes in the program's 12-year existence.

Harris' 2014 squad played to a 16-18 overall record and a ninth place finish at the CWPA Championship. Goalkeeper Noah LeBeau was named Honorable Mention All-American after yet another fantastic season in net. The team continued to grow and enjoyed their first winning season (20-15 record) since 2009 and the first 20-win season in recent memory, with sophomore Alex Jahns replacing LeBeau in net admirably with 295 total saves, good for the second-most amount since 2000. Junior R.J. Simmons improved upon his goal tally from a year ago and tossed in the 8th-most scores in program history (61). Two seniors, Andrew Gonzalez and Patrick Lenihan, earned Honorable Mention All-American recognition for their terrific seasons. In 2013, Harris helped lead Fordham back to the CWPA Championship, earning its first berth in three years.  Indivdually, three Fordham players earned CWPA All-Northern Division honors, led by Nicholas Allen and Ori Raz, who both scored at least 50 goals on the season, while goalkeeper Noah LeBeau made a career-high 291 saves. Back in 2010, Harris guided the team to a third place finish at the CWPA Northern Division Championship, led by Ali Arat and Ryan Hultman, who both received Honorable Mention All-American honors by the ACWPC. For Arat, who ranked second in the NCAA in goal scoring, it was the first of many accolades he received, which included being named Second Team Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-America®. He was also the first water polo player to receive the Vincent T. Lombardi Award, as Fordham's Male Student-Athlete of the Year. Prior to the 2010, Harris led the Rams to their best season under his tenure in 2009, receiving the 2009 CWPA Northern Division Coach of the Year award. The Rams captured a share of the CWPA Northern Division regular season title, and finished as runner-up at the CWPA Northern Division Championship. That run led Fordham to earn a berth at the Eastern Championship for the first time in over 20 seasons. The Rams also received a number of accolades in 2009, led by Arat, who received Honorable Mention All-American honors from the ACWPC, as well as CWPA Northern Division Rookie of the Year and Rookie of the Eastern Championship accolades. Three players received All-Northern Division honors (Arat, Hultman, and Mikey Edwards), while four of them earned at least one weekly award from the CWPA. In addition to the athletic honors, five Rams were named to both the AWPCA All-Academic Team and the CWPA Scholar-Athlete Team. In 2008, Harris guided the Rams to a 13-10 overall record, posting the team's first winning season since 1987, and ended the season with a fifth place finish at the Northern Division Championship. Fordham also had two players earn CWPA All-Northern Division honors. Since 2004, Harris has brought respect back to Fordham, starting with eight overall wins and three conference victories in his first season. He quickly followed that up with nine victories in 2005, and has brought in quality recruiting classes each offseason. In 2006, Harris did another solid job posting an 11-11-1 mark, the first season for Fordham at or above the .500 mark in over a decade, while in 2007, the Rams matched that win total (11), playing a number of ranked opponents, as well as making their first trip to the West Coast in over 20 years, posting a 5-2 mark over seven games. Individually, Harris has helped 11 Rams earn All-CWPA Northern Division honors in each of the last seven seasons (Paul Shrewsbury - 2005 & 2007 Second Team; Todd Conway - 2006 First Team; Alex Powell - 2008 First Team; Timmy Will - 2008 Second Team; Ali Arat - 2009 & 2010 First Team; Ryan Hultman - 2009 & 2010 Second Team; Mikey Edwards - 2009 Second Team; Robert Fleming - 2011 Second Team; Noah LeBeau - 2012 Second Team; Noah LeBeau, Nicholas Allen, & Ori Raz - 2013 Second Team). Harris, who was the girls' varsity coach at Greenwich High School, has brought a plethora of experience to Fordham. Prior to Greenwich High School, he served as the travel team coach for Greenwich Youth Water Polo from 2000-03, while also serving as an Age Group coach for the New York Athletic Club from 1995-2003. Harris was also the head coach for the NYAC Men's Team from 1982-87. A 1997 U.S. Water Polo Hall of Fame inductee, Harris had a prolific playing career at St. Francis College, where he was a 1966 NCAA All-American and a four-time ECAC All-Star Team selection, while helping St. Francis to four ECAC Championships and an undefeated conference record in those four seasons. He later was selected to the St. Francis College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990. Following his collegiate career, Harris represented the New York Athletic Club from 1967-92, where he was a member of eight National Championship teams. He was selected First Team All-America eight times as a member of the NYAC, and was 1973 and 1977 MVP for the National Championship Tournaments. Harris was also named MVP of the NYAC Paul Wacker Tournament on three separate occasions (1975, 1978, and 1980), and earned MVP honors of the North American Cup in 1977. Harris and his wife, Dorothy, have two sons, and currently reside in Rye, N.Y. Alma Mater: Experience: - 2009 CWPA Northern Division Coach of the Year