2012 St. Francis Brooklyn NCAA Final Four Tournament Guide 2012 EASTERN CHAMPIONS

2012 St. Francis Brooklyn NCAA Final Four Tournament Guide 2012 EASTERN CHAMPIONS 2012 NCAA Men’s Water Polo Final Four December 1-2, 2012 McDonald’s Swim Stadium Hosted by: University of Southern California 2012 MEN’S CWPA EASTERN CHAMPIONSHIPS ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN 10 BUCKNELL, 9 DOUBLE OVERTIME QUICK FACTS 2012 St. Francis College Men’s Water Polo Results QUICK FACTS Location Brooklyn Heights, NY Opponent Result Founded 1859 President Brendan J. Dugan ‘68 Brown L, 9-8 Enrollment 2,600 Fordham W, 9-4 Nickname Terriers California-Berkeley L, 16-3 Colors Red & Blue Bucknell W, 8-7 Affiliation NCAA Division I Mercyhurst W, 14-6 Conference Northeast Bucknell W, 7-5 Home Court (Capacity) Pope PE Center (1,200) Peter Aquilone Court Brown L, 9-8 School Website www.SFC.edu Iona W, 13-12 Athletics Website www.SFCathletics.com Brown L, 14-9 Faculty Athletic Representative Dr. Jennifer Lancaster Connecticut College L, 5-0 California Lutheran L, 5-0 ATHLETICS USC L, 15-4 Director of Athletics Irma Garcia ‘80 Long Beach State L, 14-12 Associate Director of Athletics Anthony Kurtin ‘00 California-Davis W, 12-6 Assistant Director of Athletics Carl Quigley ‘75 Princeton W, 9-8 Senior Woman Admin./Dir. of Marketing Meghan K. O’Brien MIT W, 14-11 Director of Compliance Jim Hoffman Harvard W, 14-9 Director of Athletic Communications David Gansell Men’s Water Polo Contact David Gansell Fordham W, 20-11 Assistant Sports Info Director Brian D. Morales ‘08 Connecticut College W, 14-3 Head Athletic Trainer Andrew Cornicello, MED, MS, A.T.C Harvard W, 17-14 Asst. Trainer (MWP Contact) Lynson Willis, A.T.C. Brown * W, 8-7 Asst. Trainer Armando Rodriguez, A.T.C. Navy W, 14-10 Asst. Trainer Justine Stevenson Mercyhurst W, 12-11 Strength and Conditioning Director Yuki Miyazawa Bucknell $ W, 10-9 2OT Asst. Strenght and Conditioning Coach Max Barnhart IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS * Northern Division Championship Athletics Department Phone (718) 489-5490 $ Easterns Championship Athletics Fax (718) 797-2140 Sports Information Phone 1 (718) 489-5369 Sports Medicine Phone (718) 489-5216 COACHING STAFF Head Coach Igor Samardzija Overall Record at St. Francis 66-26 (Fourth) Overall Career Record Same Assistant Coach Filip Sasic Volunteer Assistant Coach Srdjan Mihaljevic Men’s Water Polo Office Phone (718) 489-5365 TEAM INFORMATION Final 2012 Record 16-8 Final 2012 CWPA Record 4-2 2012 Tournament Victories: 2012 Northern Division 2012 CWPA Easterns Previous NCAA Appearances: 2005, 2010 2012 Eastern Tournament MVP Marko Gencic HOW TO REACH US: has 209 career goals. David Gansell, Director of Athletic Communications Phone: 718.489.5369 (w) Phone: 718.930.4237 (c) Fax: 718.797.2140 Email: [email protected] www.SFCathletics.com Brendan J. Dugan, President After 40 years in commercial banking, Brendan J. Dugan decided to return to his alma mater, St. Francis College, as President in 2008. He had served as Chairman of the College’s Board of Trustees before that, and as a member of the Board played a leading role in the College’s $40 million fundraising Campaign for Big Dreams. President Dugan’s last banking position was Chairman & CEO of Sovereign Bank’s Metro NY/NJ Division. Sovereign had recently acquired Independence Bank where Mr. Dugan worked since 2003. Prior to joining Independence, he served as Chief Operating Officer of Citibank Commercial Markets (2001- 2003), President of European American Bank (1991- 2001) and President and Chief Executive Officer of NatWest USA (1974-1991). While at each of these institutions, Mr. Dugan helped develop and manage the implementation of growth strategies in the areas of Commercial and Retail Banking, Leasing and Real Estate Lending, all of which are integral to the New York economy. Mr. Dugan is also a Director of Cox and Company, a manufacturer of aerospace parts for military and civil applications. Reflecting a commitment to community involvement, Mr. Dugan is a board member of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Regional Plan Association, Partnership for New York City, the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, and the Futures in Education Endowment Fund. He also serves on the Finance Council of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn. In the past he was active with the New York Bankers Association and was a member of its Board of Directors and Legislative Policy Committee. Community organizations bestowing honors upon him in the past include the Greater Jamaica Development Corp., the Anti Defamation League of B’Nai Brith, Helen Keller Services for the Blind, the Crohns and Colitis Foundation, the American Jewish Congress, Neighborhood Housing Services, Good Shepherd Services, Touro Law School, St. Francis College, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, The Boy Scouts of America, and Brooklyn Legal Services Corp. He resides in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn with his wife, Barbara. About St. Francis College St. Francis College was founded in 1859 as St. Francis Academy by a group of newly arrived Franciscan Brothers from Ireland. The Brother’s mission was to educate young men from working-class families in the Brooklyn Diocese. St. Francis Academy provided a sound education with a rigorous curriculum and personal support, all for a modest tuition, characteristics that endure today. In 1884, St. Francis College received its Charter from New York State establishing a literary college which could award diplomas, honors, and degrees. In 1926, St. Francis College built a larger campus near its original site in Cobble Hill, where it remained until the 1960s when the College relocated to its current site on Remsen Street in Brooklyn Heights. The new location and opening the College’s doors up to women for the first time led to an influx of students from all five boroughs of New York City and beyond, doubling the student population. The cornerstone of the St. Francis College experience is academics. All students complete a core curriculum that offers a foundation for intellectual and professional growth; once completed, they choose from one of 70 majors, many in the liberal arts and others geared to specific professions, included a five year combined Bachelor’s/Master’s degree in Accounting. An honors program serves students of high achievement and a broad scholarship program supports those who are likely to perform well academically. An NCAA-Division I institution, St. Francis College offers students the opportunity to play for any of 19 varsity men’s and women’s athletic teams, including its men’s basketball team, whose program is among the oldest in New York City. Teams compete in many well- known New York City venues such as the USTA National Tennis Center, home of the U.S. Open, Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island and Aviator Sports at Floyd Bennett Field. Today, first-generation college-goers and students of all backgrounds are among St. Francis College’s diverse population. Its Catholic-Franciscan heritage, central to life at the College, allows faculty and administrators to embrace, support, and encourage all students as they pursue fulfillment of their dreams. Head Coach Igor Samardzija-Fourth Season 66-26 Career Record (Fourth Season) 2012 CWPA Northern Division Coach of the Year 2011 CWPA Northern Division Coach of the Year 2010 NCAA Final Four, 2012 NCAA Final Four 2010 & 2012 Eastern Champions 2009, 2010, 2012 Northern Division Champions St. Francis College Men’s Water Polo’s Head Coach Igor Samardzija was hired in the summer of 2009 by St. Francis Director of Athletics Irma Garcia. Since then, Samardzija has directed the Terriers to an overall record of 66-26 and pair of Final Four appearances in 2010 and now in 2012. He was named the 2011 & 2012 CWPA Northern Division Coach of the Year. The Terriers have also exceled in the classroom during Samardzija’s tenure. Last season, St. Francis College was among only three schools to receive NCAA Academic Progress Rates (APR) Public Recognition awards in men’s water polo for the 2010-11 academic year. These awards are given each year to teams with APRs in the top 10 percent in each sport. “It is a great honor for me to become a member of the St. Francis family and to be given the opportunity to lead the College’s most successful athletic program,” said Coach Samardzija at the time of his hiring. “I am truly excited about this position and will have trouble waiting for the official start of the season to justify the confidence AD Garcia has in me and the rest of the team.” Samardzija of both Serbian and Croatian descent has spent years in both the European and American Water Polo communities. He has coached the men’s and women’s club teams at Columbia University where he led teams to three state titles (‘06 – ‘08) and was named New York coach of the year twice (’06-’07). He is licensed as a water polo coach by the Italian Olympic Committee and also a volunteer coach and referee at Asphalt Green in Manhattan. Samardzija was also an assistant coach at Tent (Obrenovac, Serbia) and played for both Tent, and Red Star (Belgrade, Serbia). “My mission is to prove that championship caliber water polo is played outside of California by eventually bringing the National NCAA title to Brooklyn Heights where it belongs,” added Coach Samardzija. “Our current roster is composed of the best available national and international talent. Their past performance and stellar academic success make me very optimistic for the future.” Samardzija replaced Carl Quigley, who resigned from his post after coaching the Terriers for 34 years, which included six Northern Division Championships and a trip to the NCAA Final Four in 2005. “Finding someone to fill the shoes of coach Quigley’s was initially a daunting task,” said Garcia.

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