STANFORD, Calif. – The Stanford men’s water polo program has added Sacred Heart Prep’s Nelson Perla-Ward and Marco Stanchi from Bellevue, Washington for the 2015 season, head coach John Vargas announced Thursday. The pair joins Dos Pueblos High School’s (Goleta, Calif.) Blake Parrish, who signed his National Letter of Intent in February.
“I’m very happy with this year’s recruiting class,” Vargas said. “Nelson and Marco represent the ideal scholar-athlete. They are both skilled and knowledgeable, leaders on their teams, possess an outstanding work ethic and will make an immediate impact at Stanford.”
The 2014 San Mateo Daily News Player of the Year and a California-Hawaii First Team All-American, Perla-Ward co-captained the Gators to their third straight CIF CCS Division II Championship as well as their third consecutive WCAL League Championship this fall. He was a First Team High School All-American as a senior and a second teamer in 2013. Perla-Ward has earned spots on both the All-CCS DII First Team and All-WCAL First Team each of the past two seasons.
A USA Water Polo Outstanding Academic All-American in 2013, 2014 and 2015 and a member of the Stanford Water Polo Club, Perla-Ward and his Junior Olympics 18u squad placed fourth in 2014. He was also a USA Water Polo Junior Olympics First Team All-American in 2013 (16uA) as his team claimed silver.
In 2012, Perla-Ward was the leading scorer at the Olympic Development Program’s regional championships. He was named to the All-Region Team after helping his team to a first-place finish. A Jody Campbell Sportsmanship Award recipient in 2011, Perla-Ward was also part of the USA Water Polo ODP National Training and Selection Camp that year.
He was also a four-year letterwinner in swimming as the Gators won WBAL League Championships in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.
A three-time Washington State High School Champion and three-time First Team All-State selection with Bellevue High School, Stanchi was recently selected to the USA Youth National Team in April. Following the completion of the USA Water Polo ODP Men's National Team Selection Camps, Stanchi made a group of 23 athletes from which competition rosters will be chosen for any upcoming events with the USA Men’s Youth National Team in 2015.
Stanchi was on the youth travel team in 2014, as the United States finished first at the UANA Junior Pan American Championships, fifth at the 2014 Memorial Tournament in Acireale, Italy and 11th at the FINAL World Youth Championships in Istanbul, Turkey.
In 2013, Stanchi was tabbed to be part of the Cadet National Team and at the high school level was also named Washington State Offensive Most Valuable Player. Stanchi, who attends International School in Bellevue, was also a USA Water Polo Outstanding Academic All-American in 2014 and played for USA White alongside current Cardinal Bret Bonanni and Drew Holland in the recently completed 2015 National League.
Perla-Ward and Stanchi join a Cardinal program which returns four ACWPC All-Americans in 2015 and is coming off a campaign in which it posted its highest win total since 1994 and also won its first MPSF Championship since 2004.