Mercado Named Coach of the Year, Three Bears to All-North Team

Nov. 17, 2007

Cambridge, MA - Three members of the 17th-ranked Brown men's water polo team were given CWPA All-North honors Friday night at the Eastern Championship banquet, while Head Coach Felix Mercado was named Northern Division Coach of the Year. Junior two-meter forward Mike Gartner (San Jose, CA) and senior co-captain and two-meter defender Gerrit Adams (Winnetka, IL) both repeated as First Team honorees, while junior Grant LeBeau (San Diego, CA) was named to the Second Team.

Mercado, in his first year at Brown, wins the Northern Division Coach of the Year honor for the second consecutive season. Despite lacking a facility on campus in which the team could practice, Mercado led the Bears to their most wins entering the Northern Division Championship in program history. The team's record currently stands at 19-10, and its current ranking of #17 in the country is a season high. Last season, Mercado was named Coach of the Year after leading MIT to its third-ever appearance at the Division I Eastern Championship. He was also named the CWPA Division III Coach of the Year after the Engineers finished second at the Division III Eastern Championship.

Gartner was named First Team All-North for the third time in his three years at Brown. He entered the weekend 13th in the country with 67 goals before scoring twice more on Friday. He also leads the Bears with 82 ejections drawn and 112 shot attempts. Last season, Gartner was named an Honorable Mention ACWPC All-American despite missing the season's first 14 games with an injury, and with a full season in 2007, he is once again an All-American candidate.

Adams received his second consecutive First Team selection after earning Second Team honors his sophomore year. A dominant defender at two-meters, Adams also is third on the Bears with 38 goals and second with 31 ejections drawn.

LeBeau earned All-North honors for the first time. He is currently second on the Bears with 51 goals, 28 assists, and 21 steals. His goal total puts him at 29th in the country entering the weekend. His 10 field blocks are a team-best. In Northern Division games, he tied with Gartner for the team lead with 17 goals, also dishing out 14 assists and tallying seven steals.

The Bears will continue competition at the Eastern Championships at Harvard today and tomorrow.

CWPA All-North Team

Coach of the Year: Felix Mercado, Brown University
Rookie of the Year: John Preis, MIT
Player of the Year: Botond Szalma, St. Francis College

First Team
Botond Szalma, St. Francis College
Nemanja Pucarevic, St. Francis College
Fillip Kisdobranski, St. Francis College
Mike Gartner, Brown University
Gerrit Adams, Brown University
Devin Lewis, MIT
Jay Connelly, Harvard University (Goalie)

Second Team
Patrick St. Cin, Iona College
Chris Ludwick, Harvard University
Bret Voith, Harvard University
Grant LeBeau, Brown University
AJ Bricetti, Connecticut College
Paul Shrewsbury, Fordham University
Nicola Djuric, St. Francis College (Goalie)