SAN BRUNO, Calif. — A program-best four Santa Clara University men's water polo players earned all-West Coast Conference recognition Tuesday, led by a first-team honor for sophomore utility
Riccardo De Simon — the third straight year the Broncos have placed someone on the first team.
Sophomore utility
Henry Engs landed on the second team, senior center
Reese Jenican earned an honorable mention, and freshman utility
Imme van der Schaaf was named to the all-freshman team. The four awards are the most Santa Clara has collected in the WCC's three years sponsoring the sport (since 2023) after earning three in each of the first two seasons. It also marks the program's most all-conference honors since earning four in 2022, its final year in the Western Water Polo Association.
De Simon, a WCC Preseason Team selection in August and a two-time WCC Player of the Week (Sept. 23 & 30), leads the conference in steals (67) and sprint wins (49), ranks second in field blocks (17), is fifth with 66 goals, and seventh with a team-high 89 points. He has 19 multi-goal outings in 22 appearances, highlighted by a career-high six goals versus California Baptist on Sept. 20. The sophomore was an all-WCC honorable mention pick in 2024 and earned an All-American honorable mention from the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches.
Engs ranks third in the WCC with a career-best 54 assists in his second season. He sits third on the roster with 80 points, aided by a career-high 26 goals. He has recorded 12 multi-assist games, including a career-best seven versus No. 19 Harvard on Oct. 26, and matched his career high of three goals in four games, including matchups with No. 3 Stanford (Nov. 5), No. 13 Princeton (Sept. 6) and No. 15 Pacific (Oct. 5).
Jenican anchored the Broncos at center, finishing third on the team with 31 goals and tied for second with 41 drawn exclusions. He was named WCC Player of the Week on Oct. 7 and appeared on the Cutino Award Watch List on Sept. 25. Jenican added 14 steals (fourth on the team), two assists, and 11 multi-goal games, including five straight to close the regular season. He scored a season-high four goals twice, including the game-winner versus No. 15 Pacific on Oct. 5, and drew multiple exclusions in 13 regular-season contests. The honorable mention selection is his first all-conference accolade since making the WWPA all-freshman team in 2022.
Van der Schaaf tied for ninth in the WCC with 36 steals and 84 points, both second on the team. The freshman from Veldhoven, Netherlands, logged 13 multi-goal games, nine multi-assist efforts, six multi-steal performances, eight sprint wins, and 17 drawn exclusions. His all-freshman team honor extends Santa Clara's streak of having at least one all-freshman pick to 18 years (except 2020, when the WWPA did not award one), dating back to 2006.
De Simon, Engs, Jenican, van der Schaaf and the Broncos face third-seeded Pepperdine in the first round of the 2025 WCC Tournament at 1 p.m. PST Friday at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Fans can find all live coverage links on SantaClaraBroncos.com.
