Santa Clara, Calif. — Riccardo De Simon of the Santa Clara men’s water polo team has been selected for the West Coast Conference (WCC) Preseason Team, according to an announcement made by the conference on Friday.
De Simon made a significant impact in his first season with Santa Clara. He received All-American Honorable Mention from the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches and was recognized with all-WCC Honorable Mention. He was also named WCC Newcomer of the Week three times. Academically, De Simon earned ACWPC All-Academic “Superior” honors and a place on the WCC Commissioner’s Honor Roll (Bronze).
During the 2024 season, De Simon led the conference in steals (57), sprint wins (47), and field blocks (22). He finished second on his team in both points (77) and goals (51), while also contributing 26 assists and 28 drawn exclusions.
Some highlights from his freshman year include scoring 11 goals over a weekend at the Princeton Invitational, a five-goal game against Bucknell, and consecutive four-goal performances to end the season. He started 23 out of 24 games for Santa Clara and had multiple goals in 15 matches.
Before joining Santa Clara, De Simon played for Italian junior national teams in three world championships and led President Bologna to an Italian championship in 2022-23, where he was named best player of the tournament.
The Broncos are set to open their season on August 30 in Merced, California, with non-conference games against Fresno Pacific and UC Merced.
