June 16, 2010
Bronx, N.Y. -
Fordham water polo head coach Bill Harris announced the newest additions to the 2010 squad today, as seven players will join the Rams. The list includes utility player Nicholas Allen (Norwalk, Conn./Suffield Academy), driver Ben Clinkinbeard (San Clemente, Calif./JSerra Catholic), driver Ricky Dilday (Long Beach, Calif./Woodrow Wilson), driver Dan Kearney (Danville, Calif./De La Salle), utility player Willie Leach (Arlington, Va./Gonzaga College HS), goalkeeper Eric Mullery (Miami, Fla./Christopher Columbus), and goalkeeper Teddy Rasmussen (Fullerton, Calif./Servite).
"The new recruits are all talented athletes coming from strong high school and club programs," said head coach Bill Harris. "These incoming athletes will give us more depth in the field and especially in the goal where we had only one true goalie last season. They will be the foundation for our future success and will make our team stronger for the 2010 season. I look forward to working with them in the fall."
Allen is a 6-2 utility player that can play the field or in goal, and has spent the past three seasons on the Suffield Academy water polo and swimming teams. He helped Suffield to the New England Prep League title as a senior, earning All-Tournament honors as a field player. He also earned All-Tournament honors at the Greenwich Cardinal Cup, where Suffield took third place. Allen was also invited to the 2009 CWPA High School All-Star Clinic and All-Star game.
A two-year captain for Suffield, Allen also played for Greenwich Water Polo, where he competed in the Junior Olympics four times and in the San Diego Cup (2006) and Speedo Cup (2003-05). He was also a part of the Rocky Point Club of the Fairfield County Swim League, which won the Senior Championship four times (2005-06, 2008-09).
Away from the pool, Allen is a three-year member of the Academic Honor Roll, while also being a part of the Torch Society at Suffield Academy.
Clinkinbeard, a 5-8 attacker, was a two-time All-League selection at JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano, California. A two-year captain, he earned First Team All-League honors as a junior and led JSerra Catholic to its first CIF Championship final.
In club play, Clinkinbeard was a 2006 Junior Olympics gold medalist and was a 2008 First Team SPARE All-American.
In the classroom, Clinkinbeard is a four-year member of the honor roll at JSerra Catholic.
Dilday, a 5-10 driver, was a three-year varsity water polo player at Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, California. A 2009 team captain, he was a three-time All-Moore League selection, earning First Team honors as a junior (2008) and a senior (2009). A 2009 All-CIF honorable mention pick, he was also the team's offensive MVP, while receiving the Coaches Award in 2006.
In addition to his play at Woodrow Wilson, Dilday played club water polo for the Shore Aquatics, where he was a USAWP Academic All-American for the 2008-09 season.
Away from the pool, Dilday is a three-time scholar-athlete at Woodrow Wilson, and a member of the National Honor Society and the Distinguished Scholars.
Kearney, a 5-11 driver, played two seasons of varsity water polo at De La Salle High School in Concord, California. He helped De La Salle to back-to-back East Bay Athletic League Championships in 2008 and 2009, as well as to the finals of the North Coast Sectional in 2008 and the semifinals in 2009.
On top of his play for De La Salle, Kearney also played for the Diablo Water Polo Club, which has taken ninth place at the 2010 Winterfest and tenth at the 2010 State Finals.
In the classroom, Kearney earned high honors all four years at De La Salle High School, while also being a National Merit Scholar Commended Student.
Leach is a 5-11 utility player from Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. While there, he was a standout for both the water polo and swimming teams, becoming Gonzaga's all-time leading scorer in points for water polo, leading the team in points three straight years (2008-10). He also earned All-Tournament honors at the Eastern Prep School Championships. Leach served as team captain of both the water polo and swim teams, and became an All-League performer for swimming.
On top of his play at Gonzaga, Leach also played for the Eastern Zone Training Team, Navy Aquatics, while swimming for the Machine Aquatics (USS Swim) and the Chesterbrook Tiger Sharks.
Away from the pool, Leach was an honor roll student at Gonzaga College High School, and a leader for the Booster Club, senior retreats, and Kairos retreats. He also had his photography published in The Phoenix literary journal in 2008 and 2009.
Mullery, a 6-0 goalkeeper, is a four-year varsity member of the water polo and swim teams at Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, Florida. He served as team captain of both squads, and was a two-time All-County water polo player. He also led Christopher Columbus to a runner-up finish at the water polo state championship as a senior.
Mullery also played club water polo for Riptides Water Polo and is a five-year member of the Southeast Zone ODP team.
Rasmussen, a 6-2 goalkeeper, is a varsity water polo player at Servite High School in Anaheim, California, where he was the defensive player of the year in 2010 and the 2009 Timothy S. Dorsey Memorial Award recipient for the most inspirational player. He helped guide Servite to three strong finishes at the CIF Team Championship, with the team's best finish coming in 2008, where they took second place.
Out of the pool, Rasmussen was on the Principal's honor roll for six semesters, earning a 3.3 GPA or higher, while receiving Scholar-Athlete honors three times.
