Adrian Leonardo Weinberg (born November 25, 2001) is an American water polo player. He was selected as part of the United States team at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Adrian Weinberg
Personal information
Born (2001-11-25) November 25, 2001 (age 23)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
EducationUniversity of California, Berkeley
Height6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
Weight200 lb (91 kg)
Sport
Country United States
SportWater polo
PositionGoalkeeper
College teamCalifornia Golden Bears
Medal record
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Paris Team

Early life

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Weinberg was born on November 25, 2001, in Los Angeles, California.[1] He started swimming at age seven, and later tried out with an area youth water polo team.[2] Initially a position player, he later tried out goalkeeper and immediately, "he had found his spot".[2] He played for the Pride Water Polo Academy and continued his career at Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village.[3]

At Oaks Christian, Weinberg was a four-year letterman in water polo and helped the school to the 2016 Division 3 championship and an appearance in the 2018 Division 1 championship.[3] In one year, he recorded 248 saves and averaged 12.4 stops per game, being chosen first-team All-American, the Division 3 co-player of the year and the Elite 8 most valuable player.[2][3] He was also named the Ventura County Star Water Polo Player of the Year.[2]

College career

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Weinberg attended the University of California, Berkeley, and initially intended on redshirting as a freshman, due the California Golden Bears having a returning starter and All-American at goalkeeper.[4] However, the head coach convinced him to try to play, and Weinberg ultimately won the starting job in his first year.[4][5] He became one of the top goalkeepers nationally and started 22 of 23 games, recording 217 saves while being named honorable mention All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) and honorable mention All-American by the ACWPC.[3] In his sophomore year, he was the MPSF leader in saves per game and was chosen second-team All-MPSF while being third in save percentage.[3]

In 2021, Weinberg again led the MPSF in saves per game and in total saves, being named second-team All-American, second-team All-MPSF and helping the Golden Bears to the NCAA national championship while being named to the NCAA Championship All-Tournament team.[1][5] He won another national championship in 2022, won another All-MPSF selection and recorded 204 total saves.[1][6] He returned for a final season in 2023 and won his third-straight national championship, having 200 saves on the year.[1]

International career

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Weinberg was a member of the USA Water Polo program from a young age; he competed internationally for the Development Team & Youth National Team in 2015 and for the Cadet National Team in 2016.[3] He played for the junior national team at the FINA Junior Water Polo World Championships in 2019 and 2021 and trained with the senior national team prior to the 2020 Summer Olympics, although he did not compete there.[3][5] He was called up to the senior national team for the 2022 World Aquatics Championships and also participated at the 2022 FINA Men's Water Polo World League tournament.[3][6] In 2023, he played at the World Aquatics World Cup, the World Aquatics Championships and the Pan American Games.[1] He played at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships and was later selected for the U.S. squad at the 2024 Summer Olympics.[1][7]

Weinberg was named the best goalkeeper at the 2024 Olympics, totaling the most saves, third best save percentage, second most powerplay saves, and a goal, in addition to two penalty shootout victories, in which he saved two penalties each. Weinberg won the Bronze medal after a 11-8 shootout victory over Hungary.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Adrian Weinberg". USA Water Polo.
  2. ^ a b c d Ledin, Loren (December 28, 2018). "Oaks Christian's Adrian Weinberg is The Star Boys Water Polo Player of the Year". Ventura County Star.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Adrian Weinberg". California Golden Bears.
  4. ^ a b Ledin, Loren (April 22, 2020). "Oaks Christian grad and Cal freshman Adrian Weinberg has bright future in USA Water Polo". Ventura County Star.
  5. ^ a b c Faraudo, Jeff (August 31, 2022). "Cal Water Polo: Adrian Weinberg Sets Sights on a Repeat NCAA Title & the 2024 Olympics". Sports Illustrated.
  6. ^ a b Jorgenson, Michael (September 27, 2023). "The Power Of Belief". California Golden Bears.
  7. ^ "Adrian Weinberg". Team USA.