SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Santa Clara men's water polo standout Riccardo De Simon has been named to the West Coast Conference Preseason Team, the conference announced Friday.
 
De Simon quickly established himself as one of the WCC's top all-around players last year. In his debut season, he earned All-American Honorable Mention from the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches, all-WCC Honorable Mention, and was named WCC Newcomer of the Week three times. He also excelled in the classroom, earning ACWPC All-Academic "Superior" honors and a spot on the WCC Commissioner's Honor Roll (Bronze).
 
The Italian native led the conference in steals (57), sprint wins (47), and field blocks (22) in 2024, while finishing second on the team in both points (77) and goals (51). He also added 26 assists and 28 drawn exclusions.
 
Highlights from his freshman season included an 11-goal weekend at the Princeton Invitational, a five-goal outburst against Bucknell, and back-to-back four-goal games to close the season. He started 23 of Santa Clara's 24 games and recorded multiple goals in 15 contests.
 
Before coming to Santa Clara, De Simon starred on the Italian junior national teams, competing in three world championships and leading his club team, President Bologna, to an Italian championship in 2022-23, where he was named best player of the tournament.
 
De Simon and the Broncos begin their season on Aug. 30 in Merced, Calif., with two non-conference games versus Fresno Pacific and host UC Merced.