STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford head men’s water polo coach John Vargas has announced the signing of Ben Hallock, regarded as the nation’s top collegiate men’s water polo prospect in the 2016 class.
A native of Studio City, Calif., Hallock has not only starred at Harvard-Westlake School the last four years, but the 6-5, 210-pound standout is also the youngest member of the United States Men’s Water Polo Senior National Team.
“This recruiting class is one of the best we’ve ever had,” said Vargas. “This class is very talented and features some exceptional students. It’s hard to replace standouts like Bret [Bonanni] and BJ [Churnside], but if there is a class that can, it’s this one. I’m very excited about the future and honored to lead a team of young men who have historically become some of the top CEO’s, physicians, and engineers in the country.”
In his most recent competition with the United States Senior National Team, Hallock scored four goals and added two assists to help lead Team USA to a third-place finish in the 2015 FINA Intercontinental Tournament last April. He played alongside former Stanford standouts Tony Azevedo, Bret Bonanni, Janson Wigo and Alex Bowen, and future Cardinal teammates Jackson Kimbell and Drew Holland. Hallock also competed in the 2015 Volvo Cup and the 2014-15 Senior Team Games for USA Water Polo.
Honored as the 2015 Los Angeles Daily News Player of the Year, Hallock scored 97 goals and added 86 assists despite missing three weeks of his senior season this past fall. He guiding the Wolverines to a 24-3 record and its third straight appearance in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Finals.
Hallock was also named the CIF Division I Player of the Year for a second year in a row in 2015.
“Players like Ben come around once every 10 to 15 years, Vargas said. “He is physically gifted, academically talented, and a natural leader.”
Hallock led Harvard-Westlake to the CIF Southern Section Division I championship as a sophomore and junior. He led the Wolverines to a perfect 29-0 record as a junior, sharing CIF Division I Player of the Year honors with Johnny Hooper in 2014.
The 2M standout averaged 4.6 goals, 2.4 assists and drew 4.3 exclusions per game as a junior.
Hallock also starred for the Stars & Stripes Bruin Water Polo Club.
Stanford completed the 2015 season with a 22-8 overall record, placing fifth in the MPSF Championships.