Men's Water Polo | 8/27/2026 4:30:00 PM

The Gannon men's water polo team enters the 2026 season with an experienced roster as the Golden Knights look to build on their best finish since joining the Western Water Polo Association.

Gannon returns a strong core from last season's team that finished 14-10 overall and 3-1 in WWPA play, earned the No. 1 seed out of the Eastern Division and placed third at the WWPA Championship.

Sadikovic Enters Fourth Season

Former Gannon All-American Zarko Sadikovic enters his fourth season leading the Gannon men's and women's water polo programs in 2026. Sadikovic was named head coach on Aug. 25, 2023, becoming the fifth individual to oversee the two programs.

Over his first three seasons, the Golden Knights have continued to enjoy success under Sadikovic. The men's program enters 2026 with a 42-27 record during his tenure, highlighted by a third-place finish at the 2025 WWPA Championship.

2025 Season Recap

Gannon posted a 14-10 record in 2025, including a 3-1 mark in WWPA play, to earn the top seed out of the Eastern Division heading into the WWPA Championship.

The Golden Knights featured one of the most productive offenses in program history, setting school records with 422 goals and an average of 17.6 goals per game. Gannon also set a single-game program record with 28 goals in a 28-22 victory at Salem before matching the record the following day with 28 goals in a 28-13 win over Mercyhurst.

The Golden Knights hosted the WWPA Championship at SPIRE Aquatics Center in Geneva, Ohio, and faced Western Division No. 2 seed Biola in the semifinals. An early deficit proved difficult to overcome as Gannon fell 11-9.

Gannon responded the following day with a 17-12 victory over Fresno Pacific in the third-place match. The finish was the Golden Knights' highest since joining the WWPA.

Experienced Core Returns

Despite the graduation of All-American Alexandros Kotskar (Voula, Greece/Athinaiki Agogh), Gannon returns several decorated players from last season's squad.

Junior Nikiforos Liantziris (Athens, Greece/1o EPAL Zografou) headlines the returning offensive group after finishing second on the team with 63 goals while leading Gannon with 49 assists for 112 points. Liantziris earned WWPA All-Conference Honorable Mention honors in 2025 and was named to the WWPA All-Academic Team in 2024 and 2025. He was also an ACWPC Division II First Team All-American in 2024.

Senior Petar Markovic (Belgrade, Serbia/Sports High School of Belgrade) also earned WWPA All-Conference Honorable Mention honors after scoring 59 goals and leading the Golden Knights with 45 drawn exclusions.

Junior Victor Volant (Fuveau, France/Font d'Aurumy) returns after earning WWPA All-Conference Second Team, WWPA All-Conference Defensive Team and WWPA All-Tournament Second Team honors in 2025. Volant finished the season with 57 goals, 37 assists and a team-high 49 steals while winning 38 of 43 sprints.

Rajmund Farsang (Eger, Hungary/Neumann Janos Gimnazium) adds another experienced offensive threat after finishing 2025 with 49 goals, 27 assists and 42 steals.

Mohacsi Anchors Defense

Bator Mohacsi (Budapest, Hungary/ELTE Apáczai Csere János Gyakorló Gimnázium és Kollégium) returns in goal after a strong sophomore season that earned him WWPA All-Conference Second Team and WWPA All-Tournament First Team honors.

The 6-foot-5 junior appeared in 22 games and recorded 239 saves. Djordje Stefanovic (Belgrade, Serbia/Gimnazija Patrijarh Pavle) also returns after going 3-0 with 45 saves in six appearances last season.

Golden Knights Look To Replace Kotskar

The biggest loss from last year's lineup is Alexandros Kotskar (Voula, Greece/Athinaiki Agogh), who concluded a record-setting Gannon career by earning ACWPC Division II First Team All-America honors.

Kotskar led the Golden Knights with 90 goals and 121 points in 2025 while earning First Team All-WWPA recognition. He finished his career as Gannon's all-time leader with 322 goals and 427 points.

Even with Kotskar's departure, Gannon brings back four of its top five goal scorers from last season in Liantziris, Markovic, Volant and Farsang.

Four Newcomers Join Golden Knights

Gannon welcomes four newcomers in 2026 with Nick Thompson (Hudsonville, Mich./Hudsonville), Daniel Madrid (Cartagena, Spain/Kings College Murcia), Giacomo Peretti (Verona, Italy/Liceo G. Fracastoro) and Nikita Rudoi (Sabadel, Spain/Jaume Viladoms) joining the program.

Thompson, a 6-foot-2 junior center/2-meter defender from Hudsonville, Mich., arrives after playing at Penn State Behrend. He earned First Team All-MPSF honors twice, was a two-time All-America Honorable Mention selection and was named the MPSF Rookie of the Year as a freshman.

Madrid, a 6-foot sophomore driver from Cartagena, Spain, joins the Golden Knights along with a pair of international freshmen. Peretti is a 6-foot-3 utility from Verona, Italy, while Rudoi is a 6-foot-2 center from Sabadel, Spain.

Gannon Picked Fourth in WWPA Preseason Poll
Defending WWPA champion Concordia was picked to finish first in the 2026 WWPA Preseason Coaches Poll, receiving 35 points and five first-place votes. Biola was picked second with 30 points and one first-place vote, while Salem received the remaining first-place vote and was third with 25 points.

Gannon was picked fourth with 19 points. The 2026 season marks the Golden Knights' fourth year as a member of the WWPA after joining the conference in 2023. Gannon is coming off a third-place finish at the 2025 WWPA Championship, its highest finish since joining the conference.

2026 WWPA Preseason Coaches Poll

1. Concordia – 35 (5)
2. Biola – 30 (1)
3. Salem – 25 (1)
4. Gannon – 19
5. McKendree – 15
6. Fresno Pacific – 14
7. UC Merced – 9

 
Challenging 22-Match Slate Awaits

Gannon will face a challenging 22-match regular-season schedule beginning August 29-30 at the Bruno Classic in Providence, R.I.

The Golden Knights open against Fordham and LIU on August 29 before facing Iona and host Brown the following day. Gannon will also compete in invitationals hosted by Washington & Jefferson, Salem and Mercyhurst.

The Golden Knights host George Washington on October 4 at Hallman Aquatics Center before beginning WWPA competition later in the month.

Gannon will return home to host the WWPA Erie Classic on November 6-8 before traveling to California for the WWPA Championship, hosted by Biola on November 20-22.

Up Next

Gannon opens the 2026 season at the Bruno Classic on Saturday, August 29 in Providence, R.I. The Golden Knights face No. 5 Fordham at 3:20 p.m. before taking on LIU at 7:20 p.m.

Gannon concludes opening weekend on Sunday, August 30 against Iona at 10:20 a.m. and host No. 20 Brown at 2:20 p.m.