Photo by: Katie Chin
2025 USC Men’s Water Polo Season Outlook
August 28, 2025 | Men's Water Polo
The No. 2 Trojans kick off their season with a trip to the Triton Invitational this week.
A Spaniard, an American and a Serb walk onto a pool deck...
Haven't heard that one? Just wait. But this is no joke.
This season, the USC men's water polo team rolls out a roster bedazzled with three First Team All-Americans representing three different countries in Robert López Duart, Bernardo Herzer and Mihailo Vukazić.
That, along with a talented freshman class and an astounding set of returners, has head coach Marko Pintaric feeling good about his 2025 Trojans.
"This is an absolutely loaded roster, right from top to bottom with lots and lots of talent," Pintaric said. "Every year is a year to win it all, and you go for it. This is what we're competing for, and this is what USC is all about."
The USC men have reached the NCAA Tournament for 20 consecutive years, finishing as national runners-up last season after posting a 23-6 overall record while claiming a third straight MPSF Tournament crown along the way. The hunger to claim an 11th national championship for the program is deep, and the experience gleaned from consistently making deep postseason pushes has proved potent.
USC returns seven players who scored 20 or more goals for the Trojans in 2024, including top scorer López Duart, who was an NCAA All-Tournament team honoree along with goalie Herzer and senior Andrej Grgurevic.
López Duart's team-leading 64 goals last season was just one more than USC's incoming powerhouse — that third First Team All-American who also was a 2024 Cutino Award Finalist, Vukazić, who joins the Trojans as a grad transfer out of Pacific. He is one of three talented Serbian products to cap up in Cardinal and Gold this season. An All-American Honorable Mention recipient in his first season of action at USC, Stefan Branković now has fellow countrymen Vukazić and freshman Strahinja Krstić by his side for 2025.
Krstić is tabbed for duty as a member of USC's daunting two-meter crew, having served Serbia well in the past two summers while competing at the 2025 U20 and 2024 U18 World Championships. Despite the graduation of longtime hole man Max Miller, USC's two-meter depth is deep thanks to Krstić and returning veteran tough guys Jack Martin, Zac Crenshaw, Connor Cohen and Spencer Averitt.
When it comes to outside firepower, USC's proven top guns like López Duart and senior captain Andrej Grgurevic will get further reinforcements in the form of several returners who have upped their games as they've gained experience as Trojans. Lefties Jack Vort and Zach Bettino are back for more on that side of the attack, while junior Luke Nelson's shot just seems to get stronger and Evan Ausmus is primed to shine in his senior campaign. Now with a season of work under their caps, sophomores Chase Landa, Taj Whitehead and Ben Mirisch are also set to factor into USC's offensive onslaught.
But the USC offensive end isn't the only spot with talented options. Two of USC's captains are capped up in red — goalies Herzer and Charles Mills. Both spent time with Team USA over the summer, competing with the U.S. Senior and Junior national teams, respectively. Their leadership skills aside, the two also boast impressive wing spans to help control the cage. They'll be a tough tandem to crack.
"They're fine human beings and this is what I love about this team. These two gentlemen compete on a regular basis," Pintaric said of Herzer and Mills. "They bring the best out of the team. They compete and they really want to support each other. So, whoever is in the goal, I know they will do phenomenal. This is something that we are very, very fortunate to have."
Their leadership in and out of the cage is sure to help develop USC's two younger goalies in Nemo Pavoggi and Luke Harris, who both are in line to see their first time in the cage as Trojans this season.
Harris is one of seven true freshmen on the roster this season — the lone goalie in that new crew, which features a set of U.S. Youth National teamers Colt Bradley, Gavin Conant, Reed Hanna and Luke Harris, who competed for Team USA together at the 2024 U18 World Championships. The international experience in this freshman class expands further with the addition of Breydon Congo, who competed for Canada's Junior National Team, and Turkish talent Efe Naipoglu, who is a member of the Türkiye National Team.
"We're really blessed with a really good recruiting class," Pintaric said. "They're learning the system and they're making their mark."
As Pintaric enters his 25th season at USC and seventh as the head coach for the USC men, he and his Trojans are keyed in on just that — making an indelible mark on this 2025 season. They open the year ranked No. 2 in the nation and are unwaveringly serious about finishing this one on top.
Haven't heard that one? Just wait. But this is no joke.
This season, the USC men's water polo team rolls out a roster bedazzled with three First Team All-Americans representing three different countries in Robert López Duart, Bernardo Herzer and Mihailo Vukazić.
That, along with a talented freshman class and an astounding set of returners, has head coach Marko Pintaric feeling good about his 2025 Trojans.
"This is an absolutely loaded roster, right from top to bottom with lots and lots of talent," Pintaric said. "Every year is a year to win it all, and you go for it. This is what we're competing for, and this is what USC is all about."
The USC men have reached the NCAA Tournament for 20 consecutive years, finishing as national runners-up last season after posting a 23-6 overall record while claiming a third straight MPSF Tournament crown along the way. The hunger to claim an 11th national championship for the program is deep, and the experience gleaned from consistently making deep postseason pushes has proved potent.
USC returns seven players who scored 20 or more goals for the Trojans in 2024, including top scorer López Duart, who was an NCAA All-Tournament team honoree along with goalie Herzer and senior Andrej Grgurevic.
López Duart's team-leading 64 goals last season was just one more than USC's incoming powerhouse — that third First Team All-American who also was a 2024 Cutino Award Finalist, Vukazić, who joins the Trojans as a grad transfer out of Pacific. He is one of three talented Serbian products to cap up in Cardinal and Gold this season. An All-American Honorable Mention recipient in his first season of action at USC, Stefan Branković now has fellow countrymen Vukazić and freshman Strahinja Krstić by his side for 2025.
Krstić is tabbed for duty as a member of USC's daunting two-meter crew, having served Serbia well in the past two summers while competing at the 2025 U20 and 2024 U18 World Championships. Despite the graduation of longtime hole man Max Miller, USC's two-meter depth is deep thanks to Krstić and returning veteran tough guys Jack Martin, Zac Crenshaw, Connor Cohen and Spencer Averitt.
When it comes to outside firepower, USC's proven top guns like López Duart and senior captain Andrej Grgurevic will get further reinforcements in the form of several returners who have upped their games as they've gained experience as Trojans. Lefties Jack Vort and Zach Bettino are back for more on that side of the attack, while junior Luke Nelson's shot just seems to get stronger and Evan Ausmus is primed to shine in his senior campaign. Now with a season of work under their caps, sophomores Chase Landa, Taj Whitehead and Ben Mirisch are also set to factor into USC's offensive onslaught.
But the USC offensive end isn't the only spot with talented options. Two of USC's captains are capped up in red — goalies Herzer and Charles Mills. Both spent time with Team USA over the summer, competing with the U.S. Senior and Junior national teams, respectively. Their leadership skills aside, the two also boast impressive wing spans to help control the cage. They'll be a tough tandem to crack.
"They're fine human beings and this is what I love about this team. These two gentlemen compete on a regular basis," Pintaric said of Herzer and Mills. "They bring the best out of the team. They compete and they really want to support each other. So, whoever is in the goal, I know they will do phenomenal. This is something that we are very, very fortunate to have."
Their leadership in and out of the cage is sure to help develop USC's two younger goalies in Nemo Pavoggi and Luke Harris, who both are in line to see their first time in the cage as Trojans this season.
Harris is one of seven true freshmen on the roster this season — the lone goalie in that new crew, which features a set of U.S. Youth National teamers Colt Bradley, Gavin Conant, Reed Hanna and Luke Harris, who competed for Team USA together at the 2024 U18 World Championships. The international experience in this freshman class expands further with the addition of Breydon Congo, who competed for Canada's Junior National Team, and Turkish talent Efe Naipoglu, who is a member of the Türkiye National Team.
"We're really blessed with a really good recruiting class," Pintaric said. "They're learning the system and they're making their mark."
As Pintaric enters his 25th season at USC and seventh as the head coach for the USC men, he and his Trojans are keyed in on just that — making an indelible mark on this 2025 season. They open the year ranked No. 2 in the nation and are unwaveringly serious about finishing this one on top.
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