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4/28/2001 - Men's Water Polo
U.S. Naval Academy To Host Elite Men's Water Polo Competition

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Colorado Springs, Colo. - United States Water Polo, Inc. (USWP), the national governing body (NGB) for the sport of water polo within the United States, will conduct the second annual Men's Division I Premier League Championship April 28-29 at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. This competition will feature the best water polo players in the United States.

With most of the current U.S. National team members and Olympians such as Brad Schumacher, Bowie, Maryland, participating in the weekend event, fans can expect to see some of the highest level of water polo competition that the U.S. has to offer.

"We are looking forward to hosting the Premier League Championship" says Navy Coach Mike Schofield, "This tournament will offer fans and players a chance to watch and enjoy the highest level of water polo that has been played on the East Coast in the past 20 years. Our Navy team was fortunate enough to make the NCAA Final Four this year, and the competition this weekend will be significantly better than that."

Six of Schofield's Navy players will represent the Northeast Zone this weekend, including Eastern MVP and NCAA All-American Sean Foster, (SR, Davis, CA), All-American Nick Hill (SO, Long Beach, CA), Juniors Barry Shaw (Johnannesburg, SA) and Brendan Naeve (LaCanada, CA), Sophomore Adrian Rawn (Greenwich, CT) and local product Joe Donahue (FR, Annapolis, MD, St. Mary's HS).

The USA Water Polo Premier League Division I Championship will follow last weekends Division II tournament held in Austin, Texas, with the Young Athletes of America team from Philadelphia emerging as the victor. This weekend,eight teams will play for the Division I Premier League title, including the top four men's water polo teams in the U.S. and three USWP Regional teams. Teams participating include last years League champion, New York Athletic Club "A" Team, Long Beach Shores Water Polo Club, The Olympic Club, and Newport Water Polo Foundation. The zone teams participating are comprised of the best college and high school players from three regions: Pacific, Northeast, and Southern Pacific.

The Division I Premier League was started last year by United States Water Polo to bring the best players in the country together in an effort to create a more competitive atmosphere for the game of water polo within the United States. The new Premier League division structure allows for water polo clubs to play games against opponents who have a similar skill level. "By creating the Division I and II Premier Leagues we are developing the most competitive atmosphere we can for those individuals playing water polo here in the U.S.," said Bruce Wigo, Executive Director, United States Water Polo, Inc. "It doesn't matter if you are a internationally experienced player or a high school level player, the new, two league structure offers you a competitive league to play in."

In past years some of the countries top water polo players have chosen to leave the U.S. in search of competitive professional leagues outside of the United States. However with the construction of the Premier League and high level of competition, U.S. players are now staying home to compete. "Having the countries best players playing in the Premier League will improve the overall level of play here in the U.S., and give the fans something special to watch," said Wigo.

Tickets for the weekend's Premier League Championships can be purchased at the door: Weekend pass: $10.00, Day passes $6.00.

In addition to the efforts of USA Water Polo and the Naval Academy, additional promotional and media support for the Premier League is being provided by the Washington/Baltimore Regional Coalition, which is working to bring the 2012 Olympics to this area.

The Division I Premier League Championship game will be played on Sunday, April 29, 2001, at 1:50 P.M. in Lejeune Hall.

Location: United States Naval Academy: Annapolis, Maryland

Games will be played in MACDONOUGH and LEJEUNE HALLS