UC San Diego captain Skyler Munatones was tabbed as the Division II men’s water polo Player of the Year by the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches, while the Tritons’ Denny Harper was named Coach of the Year for the ninth straight year and 17th overall.
After earning first team All-America honors in 2018, Munatones was tabbed as the top player in Division II after posting 58 assists and earning Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) second team accolades. Munatones follows fellow Tritons Jack Turner (2018) and Arman Momdzhayn (2016, 2017) as Division II Player of the Year honorees.
Harper, in his 40th year as head coach, led UCSD to a 20-8 record including a 6-1 mark in WWPA action and 15 wins against teams listed in the final Collegiate Water Polo Association poll. The Tritons were the runnerup at the WWPA Championship, falling to UC Davis 14-5 in the title match.
Joining Munatones on the first team were fellow Tritons Connor Turnbow-Lindenstadt and goalie Jack Turner. Turnbow-Lindenstadt picked up the third All-America nod of his career after putting in 63 goals. Turner also became a three-time All-American after racking up 281 saves.
Concordia (Irvine), Fresno Pacific, Gannon, McKendree and Salem each put one player on the All-America first team.
CUI’s Marius Jakimcikas put in a WWPA best and school record 102 goals and totaled 129 points. FPU’s Jacob Fairchild notched 55 goals and 28 assists. Gannon’s Drago Marjanovic dropped in 63 goals and 28 assists as the Knights went 18-4 overall and won the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference West Championship.
McKendree’s Matthew Haygood score 68 goals to pace the Bearcats, which went 12-12 and finished second in the MAWPC West Region. Salem’s Milos Popovic garnered his second straight first team ACWPA All-America honor after a season in which he put in 76 goals and added 44 assists.
Three players were named to the ACWPC honorable mention list: CUI’s Patrick Zsiros, McKendree’s Joseph Mahan and Mercyhurst’s Ryan Witoslawski.
Zsiros became Concordia’s all-time leading scorer with 126 goals, including 41 in 2019, while Mahan scored 60 times for McKendree. Witoslawski led Mercyhurst with 67 goals, 42 steals and 21 assists as the Lakers finished fourth at the CWPA Western Championships.
ACWPC All-America teams are selected from coach nominees and voted on by varsity head coaches. The ACWPC will honor All-America selections from Division I, II and III separately throughout the week.
Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches
2019 Division II All-America Teams
| First Team | |
| Jack Turner (Goalie) | UC San Diego |
| Connor Turnbow-Lindenstadt | UC San Diego |
| Skyler Munatones | UC San Diego |
| Marius Jakimcikas | Concordia (Irvine) |
| Jacob Fairchild | Fresno Pacific |
| Drago Marjanovic | Gannon |
| Matthew Haygood | McKendree |
| Milos Popovic | Salem |
| Honorable Mention | |
| Patrick Zsiros | Concordia (Irvine) |
| Joseph Mahan | McKendree |
| Ryan Witoslawski | Mercyhurst |