USA Water Polo Release
 
Bronx, N.Y. - The roster for the Men's Junior National Team has been announced for the 2026 PanAm Aquatics U19 Water Polo Championships in Bauru, Brazil, and it includes Fordham sophomore Soren Jessen along with the team's head coach, Ilija Duretic, Fordham's associate head coach.
 
Jessen, a native of San Rafael, California, is in his second year with the Rams. Last year he appeared in all 30 games, scoring 13 goals to go with six assists and four steals.
 
Prior to Fordham, Jessen was a highly decorated player at Terra Linda High School where he was a three-year captain of the water polo team earning MCAL First Team All-League honors three times from 2022-24 and Honorable Mention All-League in 2021.
 
Duretic is in his fourth year with Fordham after serving as head coach of both the men's and women's water polo programs at St. Francis Brooklyn for two seasons. Among his many awards are 2024 ACWPC Division I Assistant Coach of the Year, 2024 USA Water Polo Zone Award Winner - Monte Nitzkowski Award (Elite Men's Coach Award - Northeast), and 2025 USA Water Polo Zone Award Winner - Ted Newland Award (Development Men's Coach Award - Northeast). He has helped the Rams to MAWPC titles in each of his three years.
 
The competition will take place from September 28 to October 4 and will feature some of the best pipeline athletes in the country. Live streaming of all matches will be available at PanAmAquaticsPlay.com and live statistics for every game can be found at 6-8 Sports. More information can be found from PanAm Aquatics.