STANFORD, Calif. – Dunlevie Family Director of Men's Water Polo Brian Flacks announced the signings of five highly-decorated standouts today.
“The goal every year is to bring in the best student athletes from around the world who value a Stanford education, and embody the Stanford ethos – that excellence is expected in the classroom, in the pool, and in all aspects of life,” said Flacks. “We think we hit a home run with the ‘26-27 class. They're going to be great value adds to the community and immediate impact players who we believe will give us an opportunity to win a national championship.”
Nic Austen • Walnut Creek, CA • College Park HS • Center Defender
Quick Profile: Four-time Diablo Athletic League all-league selection … Graduated College Park HS with program career records in goals scored and earned exclusions … Four-time USA Water Polo Academic All-American … Two-time USA Water Polo Junior Olympics All-America honorable mention (U16 in 2023, U18 in 2025)
Outside the Pool: Son of Bart and Erika Austen … Has an older sister, Katie … Also earned four varsity letters in swim and dive
In coach’s words: “With the graduation of CJ Indart, we needed another center defender, and we believe Nic will fill that void perfectly. The position demands toughness and physicality, and Nic has built a reputation in the age group circuit as a hard-nosed competitor who battles every possession. That's exactly what we need.”
Dimitris Chatzis • Athens, Greece • Athinaiki Agogi & Paideia • Attacker
Quick Profile: Represented his national team at the U15, U16, U18, U20 and full national team level … Earned U17 and U19 national championships … First place in national school championship in 2024
Outside the Pool: Son of Thomas and Eleni Chatzis … Has one sibling, Isavella … His father, Thomas, finished sixth in the 1996 Olympic Games
In coach’s words: “Dimitris is one of the most decorated young players in the world. He just broke the all-time scoring record at the U18 European Championships and joined the Greek senior national team at the World Cup qualifier. He's a right hand attacker who will play the left side for us, and he brings elite level scoring, speed, and the experience of playing at the highest level in the world.”
Kai Kaneko • Newport Beach, CA • Newport Harbor HS • Attacker
Quick Profile: Two-time CIF Southern Section Player of the Year … 2025 Orange County Player of the Year … Two-time Sunset League MVP … Two-time CIF Southern Section champion … Represented team USA at the 16U, 18U. and senior team levels … Three-time Junior Olympic gold medalist
Outside the Pool: Son of Brian and Kristin Kaneko … Has three older siblings, Clay, Kaden and Austin … Both Clay and Kaden played water polo at Pepperdine
In coach’s words: “Kai, along with Connor, comes from one of the winningest high school programs in the country, and we're excited to have that winning pedigree join us on The Farm. Most recently, Kai was a two-time CIF champion, Open Division Player of the Year, and one of the leading goal scorers for Team USA's youth team at Youth World Championships in Malta. With the graduation of guys like Gianpiero Di Martire and Riley Pittman, we're excited to add a right hand attacker with great vision who will play the right side for us.”
Connor Ohl • Greenwich, CT • Newport Harbor HS • Attacker
Quick Profile: Three-time All-Sunset league and All-Orange County first team selections … Three-time CIF Southern Section first team … Two-time CIF Southern Section Open Division Champion, as well as runner-up in 2023 … 2025 Daily Pilot Boys’ Water Polo Dream Team Player of the Year
Outside the Pool: Son of Chris Ohl and Diane Matt Ohl … Has two brothers, JP and Ryan … Ryan also competes with the Cardinal, entering his junior season on The Farm … Both his parents were student-athletes at Penn, his father on the rowing team and his mother n the basketball team … His grandfather, John Matt, played basketball at Kansas, and his brother JP plays water polo at Princeton
In coach’s words: “Connor is one of the most athletically gifted players in the class. A Division 1 caliber sprint freestyler with a long, dynamic frame, two-time CIF champion, and tons of Team USA age group experience, including at the international level. His length, intensity, and speed are going to help us on both sides of the pool, especially in transition. Excited to have Connor join the program alongside his brother Ryan.”
Evan Wu • Irvine, CA • Santa Margarita Catholic HS • Attacker
Quick Profile: Three-year captain at Santa Margarita Catholic HS … Two-time Trinity League MVP … 2025-26 All CIF Southern Section Open Division First Team … 2025-26 California/Hawaii All-American … Finished his senior season with 126 goals scored
Outside the Pool: Son of Sidney and Annie Wu … Has one brother, Nathan, who swam at USC
In coach’s words: “Evan was one of the top scorers in all of high school water polo last season, in the CIF Open Division. He's a right hand attacker who can play either side of the pool. He's a great vertical shooter but also a really thoughtful passer who sees the game at a high level. He's a high IQ player who's going to fit right in with how we want to play.”