Head coach John Vargas announced the newest members of the Stanford men’s water polo team yesterday, confirming that Alex Bowen, Michael Carter, Robert Dunlevie and Clayton Evans will be taking to the water with the Cardinal this fall.
For a team that fell in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship final and ended the 2010 season 15-8 (5-3 MPSF), the announcement is a small but important development as the fall season approaches and Stanford looks to make another run at the conference title.
A San Diego native, Bowen is a two-time prep All-American and earned first-team honors as a senior last fall. He’s a two-time selection to the San Diego Union Tribune’s All-Academic First Team and holds the CIF San Diego Section’s career scoring record with 547 goals.
Bowen also boasts considerable international experience, having played with the U.S. Youth and Junior National Teams since 2008. As a junior Olympian, Bowen is a six-time All-American.
Carter, the only recruit that hails from a state other than California, comes to Stanford from Lawrenceville, N.J. after moving to the U.S. with his parents from South Africa. He was named to the Northeast Zone Youth/Junior Team every year from 2008-10 and was an All-American at the 2010 junior Olympics. Carter has also made a splash on Lawrenceville’s swimming team, earning All-American honors in his junior and senior seasons.
Dunlevie won’t be moving far this fall, as he’s a product of the nearby Sacred Heart Preparatory School. He was a team captain for the Gators and led them to a second-place finish in the CCS Division II championships last year.
Stanford has seen contributions from the Dunlevie family before, as Robert’s older sister Vee is a current member of the women’s water polo team.
The only goalie of the bunch, Evans is a 2010 All-American out of Los Angeles’ Loyola High School. He captained the Cubs during his junior and senior years, earning the Mission League’s Most Valuable Goalkeeper award and leading his team to the CIF semifinal round in each.