March 24, 2009

Bronx, N.Y. - Five members of the Fordham University water polo squad were honored today by being named the 2008 Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) All-Academic Team. The Fordham honorees are seniors Luke Forand (Towson, Md./Loyola Blakefield) and Timmy Will (Surfside, Fla./Miami Beach Sr.) along with sophomores Mark Connor (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic), Martin de Jong (Long Beach, Calif./Long Beach Polytechnic) and Scott Nemecek (Western Springs, Ill./Lyons Township).

Connor and de Jong were named to the Superior Level (cumulative GPA of 3.70 to 3.41) while Forand, Nemecek and Will were all named to the Excellent Level (3.40-3.20).

Connor, who is majoring in Biology, played in 21 games this fall for the Rams, scoring five goals and adding ten assists for 15 points while also registering nine steals. Over the past two years he has accumulated 12 goals and 21 assists for 33 points.

de Jong, a Communications and Media Studies major, appeared in all 25 games for Fordham as a sophomore, scoring 12 goals and adding four assists for 16 points while also recording nine steals. His two year totals for the Rams are 14 goals and ten assists for 24 career points.

Forand, who is majoring in Communications and Media Studies, appeared in 25 games in his senior season, scoring seven goals and adding 15 assists for 21 points. He also recorded ten steals and four blocks. For his career, Forand notched 32 goals and added 48 assists for 80 career points.

Nemecek, a Business Administration major, finished the 2008 season with 16 goals and 20 assists, second best on the team, for 36 points, tied for third best on the squad, while appearing in all 25 games. He added six steals and has 21 goals and 25 assists over the past two year for 46 career points.

Will, an Economics major who served as team captain this year, wrapped up his career with his finest season as a Ram. He posted a school record 244 saves this season, while also setting the single game saves record with 19 in the opener against Navy. During the season, he was named CWPA Northern Division Player of the Week once following a 13-save performance against Harvard. Will anchored the Fordham defense to a team goals against average of 9.44, which rated 22nd in the country, while individually he tied for seventh in the NCAA in total saves and saves per game (10.17).

The Fordham water polo team finished the year at 13-10 overall, posting their first winning season since 1987, and ended the season with a fifth place finish at the Northern Division Championship.