STANFORD, Calif. – The United States, featuring current Cardinal Bret Bonanni and Jackson Kimbell along with alumni Alex Bowen ’15 and Tony Azevedo ’04, claimed seventh place in men’s water polo at the FINA World Championships with a 10-6 victory over Australia on Saturday.
Team USA completed play in Kazan, Russia earning victories over Russia (7-6), Italy (11-4), Brazil (7-3) and Australia (10-6). The United States was coming off an undefeated run in Toronto, Canada and gold at the Pan Am Games in mid-July, securing a 2016 Olympic Games berth.
Azevedo and Bonanni were Team USA’s top goal scorers at the event, with the Stanford alumnus pouring in 15 and its rising senior 12. Bowen added four goals and Kimbell put home his tally in Russia against Italy on July 31.
The U.S. started off the week with a 7-6 over Russia on July 27 behind a three-goal outburst from Azevedo. Team USA fell to Greece two days later, 11-10, but received four goals from its Cardinal contingent, two from Azevedo and one each from Bowen and Bonanni. Two scores from Azevedo and Bonanni in addition to Kimbell’s tally helped the United States conclude group play with an 11-4 victory against Italy on July 31.
Bonanni scored twice in Team USA’s qualification against Brazil on August 2 (7-3). The 2014 FINA World Player of the Year finalist also rattled the cage twice in the quarterfinals against Serbia on August 4. He was aided by goals from Azevedo and Bowen, but the United States dropped a 12-7 decision.
Azevedo and Bonanni each registered hat tricks in a 13-9 defeat at the hands of Hungary on August 6 before Stanford’s representatives on Team USA sent home eight of their country’s 10 goals in Saturday’s 10-6 victory o9ver Australia. Azevedo netted four, Bonanni a pair and Bowen two as well.
The United States scored 66 goals at the Pan Am Games (9.4 per game) and allowed 55 (7.9 per game).
In 2014, Bonanni concluded his junior season at Stanford with a conference-leading 96 goals, just one shy of the single-season school-record 97 he tallied a year ago. He will enter his senior year on The Farm with 266 career scores, just 66 shy of Azevedo’s Stanford and MPSF record (332). Bonanni is the only Cardinal in history to post multiple 90-goal seasons.
Kimbell, who was Stanford’s highest-scoring rookie as a freshman in 2013 (26 goals), tallied 14 during his sophomore season, including five multi-goal games and one hat trick.
Bowen earned his fourth ACWPC First Team All-America honor after another superb season, becoming the first four-time first teamer at Stanford since Azevedo (2001-04). The senior finished his time on The Farm with 253 career goals and leaves third all-time at Stanford and eighth in MPSF history. In 2014, he was second on the Cardinal with 65 scores, including 19 multi-goal games and 12 hat tricks.
Bowen recently received his degree in product design as part of Stanford's 124th Commencement Exercises on June 14 and on June 11 received the Biff Hoffman Award at the annual Stanford Athletic Board Awards ceremony, given to an outstanding male senior.