Aliso Viejo, Calif.----- For the second year in the last three, it was a record-setting year academically for the San Jose State University men's water polo team.
Fifteen (15) of the Spartans' 21 players were named to the Golden Coast Conference (GCC) all-academic team for the recently completed 2020-21 academic year. The number is one more than San Jose State's previous best of 14 in each of the last two seasons. Also, the 15 players account for 71.4 percent of the team earning the conference academic honor - another best by the current Spartan squad and the third consecutive year more than half the squad was recognized for academic success.
To receive Golden Coast Conference all-academic honors this year, a player must be classified as a full-time student with at least one semester of residency at the conference member institution, be an active member of the squad, and possess a cumulative grade-point average of 3.00 or higher on a 4.00 scale.
"I'm extremely proud of these guys and how they were able to do so well academically with the many hurdles they had to get over being in different time zones, the COVID pandemic and online classes," said San Jose State University men's water polo head coach Bruce Watson. In the last three years, the Spartans earned 43 Golden Coast Conference all-academic awards.
All-GCC first team selection Finn Pardon, now in graduate school, leads the San Jose State list of honorees with his fourth conference academic award. Juniors Yahav Fire and Niels Hofmeijer earned their third academic all-conference honor. Neil Arnett and Utku Karhan, two more juniors, now are two-time All-GCC academic award winners.
Guillermo Aguirre, Oliver Grant, Jacob Hatch, Ary Kamen, Mark Kis, Ethan Koch, Connor Macmillan, Griffin O'Brien, John Reid, and Mason Smith complete the list of San Jose State honorees with their first award.
"Congratulations to our men's water polo team for another outstanding year of academic achievement. This honor is a testament to their commitment to academic success as student-athletes," said Eileen Daley, deputy director of internal operations and senior woman administrator.
2020-21 San Jose State University Golden Coast Conference all-academic honorees
| Name | Class | Hometown |
| Guillermo Aguirre | Junior | Madrid, Spain |
| Neil Arnett | Junior | Chino Hills, Calif. |
| Yahav Fire | Junior | Kfar Hasidim, Israel |
| Oliver Grant | Freshman | Pacific Palisades, Calif. |
| Jacob Hatch | Freshman | Gilroy, Calif. |
| Niels Hofmeijer | Junior | Hengelo, The Netherlands |
| Ary Kamen | Junior | Malibu, Calif. |
| Utku Karhan | Junior | Istanbul, Turkey |
| Mark Kis | Freshman | Budapest, Hungary |
| Ethan Koch | Sophomore | Calabasas, Calif. |
| Connor Macmillan | Freshman | Port Moody, B.C. |
| Griffin O'Brien | Junior | Fresno, Calif. |
| Finn Pardon | Graduate | Manhattan Beach, Calif. |
| John Reid | Freshman | San Jose, Calif. |
| Mason Smith | Junior | Bakersfield, Calif. |