First in an occasional look at collegiate recruiting classes for the upcoming 2012-13 seasons.
Fordham graduated five from its class of 2012 after posting a 8-21 record in 2011 but has more than reloaded with the recent addition of 10 new student-athletes as announced on the Fordham Athletics web site. They include:
- Peter Bergum (San Diego, Calif./Torrey Pines)
- Davis DeFontes (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill)
- Andrew Gonzalez (Glendale, Calif./Loyola), goalkeeper
- Patrick Harrigan (Woodland Hills, Calif./Crespi Carmelite)
- Mike Hay (Souderton, Pa./Souderton Area)
- Patrick Lenihan (Del Mar, Calif./Torrey Pines)
- Landon Kern (Lake Forest, Calif./El Toro)
- Patrick Reyes (Kensington, Md./Gonzaga College HS), goalkeeper
- Sean Sullivan (Warson Woods, Mo./St. Louis Univ. HS)
- Bobby Wurtz (Lafayette Hill, Pa./William Penn Charter School)
The announcement mentioned the group's size - all over 6 feet. But Fordham fans should be more encouraged by the quality of programs from which these recruits come: El Toro, Loyola of Los Angeles, Foothill, SLUH, Torrey Pines. Combine these with Fenwick, Greenwich, and Long Beach Wilson, where current team members played, and this should be a well-coached and experienced group - accustomed to winning at the highest levels of high school water polo.
The Rams will be young this fall, but it will be genuinely interesting to see if this influx of experience and youth will translate in to more wins.