Bronx, N.Y. – (August 12, 2026) – Fordham water polo head coach Brian Bacharach announced the latest recruiting class for the 2026-2027 school year, which includes 11 additions.
 
Among the additions are Laszlo Strasser (Budapest, Hungary/Scheiber Sandor Primary (Wagner)), Liam Rogers (Calgary, Alberta, Canada/Saint Francis (West Valley)), Balazs Bathory (Hódmezővásárhely, Hungary/Gregus Máté Agricultural, Technical, & Vocational School), Karlo Dragosevic (Split, Croatia/Economic & Administrative School), Bern Kent (Mill Valley, Calif./Tamalpais), Vuk Kojic (Belgrade, Serbia/Gymnasium Saint Sava), Petar Kulas (Dubrovnik, Croatia/Dubrovacka Privatna Gimnazija), Viktor Savic (Belgrade, Serbia/Fourth Belgrade Gymnasium), Oktavian Veklyuk (San Miniato, Italy/Coleggio Emiliani), Kane Fogg (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Oaks Christian School), and Alejandro Cheline (San Jose, Calif./The Harker School).
 
"If there was one theme that everyone shared following our season ending loss to USC in 2025, it was that our team needed to get bigger and stronger if we wanted to win against the top powers of collegiate water polo," said Bacharach. "Only time will tell if we have bridged that gap at all. I know for a fact that our returning guys have put more time and effort into the weight room than they ever have before. I am confident that we have taken a big step in the right direction through this recruiting class as well. It will be very exciting integrating this group with the talented core group of players we have returning."

Strasser, a 6-3 attacker, is a graduate transfer from Wagner College, where he spent the last four seasons and served as the team captain in 2025.  He finished his time at Wagner, as the team's most nationally recognized player after being an ACWPC Honorable Mention All-America and First Team All-MAWPC selection last season after scoring 101 goals and 31 assists to go with 24 steals.  He was also a First Team All-MAWPC selection in 2023, as well as Second Team honoree and MAWPC Rookie of the Year in 2022. Additionally, Strasser was a four-year member of the Dean's List at Wagner and recipient of the 2025 Business Administration Award.
 
Bacharach on Strasser: "Laszlo is an athlete our program knows very well, having had him at the top of our scouting report his entire time at Wagner. He is a versatile lefty that can score in a multitude of ways. Despite our scouting reports against him, he always walked away having scored several goals against us. It will be nice to have him join our attack, helping bolster our depth on the lefty side of the pool. The part I am equally excited about and have learned through the recruitment process is how talented of a young man he is outside the pool, in the classroom and as a person. He is going to fit in perfectly on our team."
 
Rogers, a 6' 5" center guard, is a junior college transfer from West Valley College in California, where he appeared in 66 games over the past two seasons.  He netted a total of 70 goals to go with 28 assists and 60 steals and was named to the 3C2A All-Conference Team in 2024.  This season, he helped West Valley to the Costal Conference and 3C2A NorCal Championships, as well as a fourth place finish in the 3C2A State Championship.  Prior to West Valley, he is a member of the Canadian Senior Men's National Team talent pool, after being a part of the 18U National (2022) and the 20U National Team (2023).  Rogers played club in Calgary, earning the Club 19U MVP Award in 2022.  Academically, Rogers is a member of the Dean's List at West Valley College and earned Academic Honors with distinction from Saint Francis.
 
Bacharach on Rogers: "Liam is a quitessential center defender: long, great legs, and quick. He also has strong swimming ability for countering out of the center position when his team gets a stop. He has been a consistent selection for every level of the Canadian National Team system, despite not having grown up in one of the traditional cities that those players get picked from. We graduated much of our depth at the center defender position so Liam joins our program at a perfect moment where we are looking to replace 2 graduates that have been mainstays for us for 4 years."
 
Bathory, a 6' 5" center defender transfer from the University of Szeged, attended Gregus Máté Agricultural, Technical, and Vocational School in Hungary for high school.  He played club water polo for Szeged Water Polo Club in Hungary, spending the last few seasons playing at the OB1 level, which is one of the top leagues in the world. In the youth categories, his Szeged squad won a U16 Hungarian Championship Gold medal, while taking second in the U18 Championship. He also played for the Hungarian National Team at the Fourth Annual K&H International Water Polo Cup, where he helped the team to a bronze medal, and participated in every national team camp from U15 through U20. 
 
Bacharach on Bathory: "Balazs grew up playing with both Kristof Magony at the club level and Andras Toth on the national team. When he expressed interest in joining us, we knew he would be a great fit. He is a center defender by trade, but also has a great shot from the outside, making him more of a utility player for us. We felt his size and strength would make him an immediate impact player for us at the college level. We are excited he fell in love with Fordham from the very first phone call."
 
A 6' 3" center, Dragosevic attended the Economic & Administrative High School in Split, Croatia.He played club water polo most recently for VK Primorje Erste Bank senior and junior teams in 2024-25.He helped the senior team to a fifth place finish at the Croatian Senior Championship and played in the Regional League, which competed in Euro Cup qualifying matches.With the junior team, he won the Croatian Cup, while taking second at the Croatian Championship.Dragosevic is also a five-year member of the Croatian National Team, competing from U15 to U20.With the U20 team, he won a bronze medal for Croatia at the 2025 FINA World Championship in Split, Croatia, while also taking part in the 2022 (U16) and 2024 (U18) FINA World Championships. He has had a busy summer 2026, traveling with the Croatian Senior National Team to Sydney, Australia for the Water Polo World Cup, followed immediately by the U20 European Championships in Varna, Bulgaria.
 
Bacharach on Dragosevic: "Karlo is an athlete we have had on our radar since Coach Ilija got to watch him play at Junior Worlds last summer. In our opinion, he was the most efficient player with his minutes played on the U20 bronze medal Croatian team. Whether it was drawing ejections, scoring goals, or just getting deep position for his outside shooters, it seemed like he was making something positive happen every possession. He has a low center of gravity that enables him to drive center defenders back, pushing zones deeper and forcing defenders to take the exclusion. We are very excited to see his skills translate over to the collegiate level and believe he has an exciting 4 years ahead of him."
 
Kent is a 6' 0" utility player, who played four seasons at Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, California.  A three-time USA Water Polo Academic All-American and two-year captain, he earned First Team All-North Coast Section Division I in 2024, as well as All-MCAL Water Polo League Honorable Mention honors twice in his career (2023  & 2024).  Kent is also a three-time North Coast Section CIF Scholar Athlete.  For club water polo, he played for the San Francisco Water Polo Club from 2022-25 before moving on to BVSC-Zuglo in Hungary for 2025-26.  He is the first American to ever play for BVSC's U19 team, that took third place at the 2025 Next Gen Cup in Spain.  Previously with San Francisco, Kent earned fourth place finishes at the 18U KAP7 in 2024 and 2025, 5^th place at the 18U Futures Super Finals in 2025, and sixth place at the 2025 USA Junior Olympics 18U Boys Championship.
 
Bacharach on Kent: "Bern is a cerebrial player that makes the right decision more times than not, which is what makes him a great player on the 4/5 side of the pool. However, what excited us the most about recruiting him is that he has a relentless spirit for competition. From the first time I spoke with him, I could tell that he has an incredible work ethic. When he decided to spend a gap year in Hungary further honing his skills, it also opened a perfect path to joining our program. We are excited he decided to become a Ram."
 
Kojic, a 6' 3" attacker, is a graduate of Gymnasium Saint Sava in Belgrade, Serbia.  He has been a member of the Serbian Youth National Team since 2022, winning several medals at major championships.  He helped Serbia to a silver medal at the 2024 FINA U18 World Championship, scoring twice in the final against Hungary.  Kojic also has a bronze medal from the FINA World Championship and a silver at the European Championship. Most recently, he has been added to the Serbian Senior National team pipeline, competing for a spot on the World Cup Qualification roster in April 2026 as well as the World Cup and Mediterranean Games for Summer 2026. Additionally, he was selected for the 2026 U20 European Championships in Varna, Bulgaria.
 
Bacharach on Kojic: "Vuk joined us last January and has immediately made an impact on the program. The talent and resume were givens: Junior National Team of Serbia, Senior league experience in Serbia along with speed, decision making, and scoring ability. However, he brings a different level of intensity to everything he does that is something we definitely needed as a program. He wants to win everything, but he does it in a way that everyone on the team still loves him. I am very excited to continue working with Vuk throughout his collegiate career."
 
A 6' 6" attacker, Kulas is a graduate of Dubrovacka Privatna Gimnazija in Dubrovnik, Croatia, where he was a member of the honor roll.He played club water polo for VK Jug Adriatic Osiguranje, which won multiple gold medals at the 2024 Croatian Supercup and Croatian National Cup, as well as twice at the Croatian U18 National Championship (2025 & 2026). At the 2025 Croatian U18 National Championship, he finished as the second leading scorer for the championship.Additionally, he played for the Croatian U18 National Team at the 2025 European Championship and the U17 National Team at the 2023 European Championship and is currently a part of the U20 and Senior National Team training squads.
 
Bacharach on Kulas: "We are very excited about Petar deciding to join us. Our first introduction to him was last summer when he was competing on the U18 Croatian National Team at the European Championships. His role on that team was to control the 4-5 side and guard the other team's best 1-2 side attacker. After returning to Croatia for his club season, his role there was to score on the 1-2 side of the pool. He led his club to a National Championship and was one of the leading scorers in the tournament. With his size and length at 6'6", he can also play center defender. It is an incredible asset to have a player that can play so many positions so well. We are very excited Petar chose Fordham and believe he will be a great addition to our program."
 
A 6' 5" goalie, Savic went to high school at Fourth Belgrade Gymnasium in Belgrade, Serbia.He has played club water polo for BVK Crvena Zvezda for nine years, which took the silver medal at the Serbia Cup for the 2024-25 season.Savic is also a member of the Serbian National Team, having played in every major championship for Serbia from the U15 through U20 categories. He played in the U15 and U19 European Championships, while earning a silver medal at the U17 European Championship and the U18 World Championship as well as a bronze medal at the U16 World Championship. Most recently, he was selected for the 2026 U20 European Championships in Varna, Bulgaria, earning the starting spot going into the Championships.
 
Bacharach on Savic: "Viktor is a talented goalie, with incredible length at a 6'10" wingspan. However, the attribute I was most impressed with during the recruitment process is his quick side to side movement. It is not a surprise that with those physical attributes that he has been a selection for every major competition category from U15 to U20 for the country of Serbia. We think he will be a great addition to our program and look forward to him joining us in the Bronx."
 
Veklyuk, a 6' 7" attacker graduated from Collegio Emiliani in Genova, Italy.  Originally from Ukraine and with both Hungarian and Ukrainian citizenship, he played club for Uzhorod, which placed second at the U15 Ukrainian National Championship in 2017 and third in the Men's National Championship in 2023.  Individually, he was awarded the Best Ukrainian player for the 2023 Championship. Since moving to Italy, Veklyuk has played for both Etruria Swimming Club as well as Sporting Club Quinto, where he was the top goal scorer in the U18 Italian Championship for both the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. He is also a member of the Ukrainian Senior National Team, scoring 13 goals at the 2023 Senior European Championship as a 16 year old, while also taking part in the 2024 World Championship (Division 2).
 
Bacharach on Veklyuk: "I believe Oktavian is one of the most talented scorers in the 2026 class coming to the United States. He has been the leading scorer in Italy in the U18 age group category for 2 consecutive years. Despite being one of the youngest players in the A1 Italian Senior League, largely regarded as one of the top leagues in the world, he has been one of the top scorers all season long, having his name right next to some of the biggest names in the sport of water polo. Additionally, at 6'7", I believe he still has room to get stronger and faster. We look forward to working with him and think he will be a great addition to our roster."
 
Fogg, a 5' 11" attacker, will join the squad in 2027, following a gap period in 2026. He played four seasons of water polo at Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village California. He was a First Team CIF Open Division selection and Second Team California/Hawaii All America as a senior after earning Third Team all CIF honors as a junior.  He was selected as Co-MVP of the Marmonte League in 2025, as well as First Team All-Ventura County. He has spent significant time in the USA Olympic Development Program pipeline, participating in various academies as well as competing for the Youth and Junior national teams at different tournaments. Academically, Fogg is a member of the Honor Roll at Oaks Christian.
 
Bacharach on Fogg: "Kane has a great motor and is one of those relentless attackers on the offensive end. I have had the chance to watch him a lot over the last 1.5 years, and I love his ability to constantly find openings in the defense, whether that is posting up, on drives, or shooting from the outside. He has been schooled by one of the best high school coaches in the country so we know he has been trained to compete at the next level. We are very happy he chose Fordham and look forward to getting him to Rose Hill in 2027."
 
A 6' 5" goalie, Cheline is a graduate of The Harker School in San Jose, California, where he competed in both water polo and swimming.A 2025 water polo team captain and a USA Water Polo Academic All-American, he helped the Harker School to three CCS-SCVAL Co-League Championships (2022-24).Individually, he was the CCS-SCVAL MVP goalie twice as well as Second Team All-CCS in 2024 and 2025.He was also a CIF-NorCal Honorable Mention selection in 2024 and a three-time CCS-SCVAL First Team All-League pick (2023-25).Cheline played club water polo for Stanford Water Polo Club as well as for USA B and USA Water Polo PAC Blue.With Stanford WPC, the team took sixth at the 2025 Futures SuperFinals in Division 1, while being 14^th in the Platinum Division at the 2025 U19 Junior Olympics.Cheline was a part of a second place finish at the 2024 ODP National Championship with USAWP PAC Blue in 2024 and participated in the 2025 National Team Selection Camp and the USAWP Youth Academy Training squad (2024-26).
 
Bacharach on Cheline: "Alejandro is a goalie that is only beginning to tap into his incredible potential. He is long and athletic, but has not had that many opportunities to play at an elite level. He was the backbone of a high school team that achieved at a far higher level due to his outstanding play. He recently joined the Stanford club, further elevating his level of competition and play. I believe his best days as a goalie are ahead of him and we look forward to helping him achieve that potential."
 
"We could not be more excited about combining this class with the current group and the season ahead. We look forward to getting to work. Go Rams!"