April 23, 2004
Bridgeport, PA-Michael Derse, along with teammates Peter Varellas and Chad Taylor, have been named to the American Water Polo Coaches Association 2003-2004 Men's All-Academic Team. Derse was named second-team All-AWPCA, while Varellas and Taylor were named third-team All-AWPCA.
Derse, a senior from Ventura, CA, boasts a 3.67 GPA and will graduate in June with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Derse was recently among 29 Division I & II athletes to win NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarships for excellence in the classroom. Derse helped lead Stanford to a 22-5 record this year and the championship game of the NCAA Tournament. Derse scored 27 goals during the season and earned second-team All-American and second-team All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation honors, as well as All-Tournament honors during the NCAA championship.
Derse is joined by teammates Peter Varellas and Chad Taylor. Varellas, a sophomore from Moraga, CA, posts a 3.44 GPA to earn a spot on the third-team All-AWPCA. During the season, Varellas scored 43 goals (third all-time for Stanford) and was named All-Tournament at the NCAA championship. Varellas also gained Honorable Mention All-MPSF honors.
Taylor, a sophomore economics major from Alamo, CA, posts a 3.24 GPA, joining Varellas as third-team All-AWPCA. Taylor started 27 games and tallied 190 saves during the season, as well as a season-high 16 versus UC Irvine in the MPSF tournament. Taylor was named second-team All-Tournament at the NCAA championships, as well as earning second-team All-MPSF and second-team All-American honors.
Derse, Varellas, and Taylor were also named to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation's Academic All-Conference Team. They were joined by teammates Tyler Drake, Matt Moser, and Sam Tyre. Drake, a red-shirt freshman from Long Beach, CA, earned a 3.14 GPA. Moser, a junior Civil Engineering major from Sacramento, CA, posted a 3.09 GPA while Tyre, a junior Public Policy major from Temple, City, CA, earned a 3.29 GPA.
As a team, Stanford boasts a 3.20 GPA and was awarded team honors by the American Water Polo Coaches Association.