Men's Water Polo Student-Athlete Award, with Matching Support from UC Davis Foundation

The Meisel Family established the Men's Water Polo Student-Athlete Award in 2013 to recognize student-athletes from the men's water polo team. The UC Davis Foundation matched the Meisel's gift as part of The Campaign for UC Davis.

The team has won the coveted Lysle Leach Men's Team Academic Award several times but this is the first individual award tied to men's water polo. The endowment ensures that at least one student-athlete from the team will be recognized each year. Previously, the team's individual scholar-athletes only could be recognized via one of the highly contested endowments not tied to a particular sport.

Janice and Steve Meisel are ardent UC Davis supporters and have a special place in their hearts for our men's water polo team. Their son, Kevin, was on the team while earning his degree in history. Kevin garnered All-Academic distinction three times each from both the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches and from the Western Water Polo Association.