Juraj Zaťovič (born 22 October 1982 in

Bojnice Bojnice (; ) is a historical town in east Slovakia located on the Nitra (river), Nitra river, near the city of Prievidza. The town is situated just below the Bojnice Castle. It has a population of around 5,000. Bojnice is best known for its popul ...

) is a

water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...

player for the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

, who received the 2006

Peter J. Cutino Award The Peter J. Cutino Award, named after former college water polo player and UC Berkeley coach Peter J. Cutino, is considered the most prestigious individual award in American collegiate water polo. It is given annually to the top male and female pl ...

as the best collegiate water polo player among Division I NCAA teams. His position is two-meter defender.

Biography

While attending Gymnazium-Nováky in Slovakia, Zaťovič played in the Slovak League. He was a member of the Slovak National Team at the

2000 Sydney Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

. From 2002 through 2006 he attended

USC USC may refer to: Education United States * Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico * University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina ** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina * ...

: as a

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or colloquially frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational in ...

scoring 49 goals,

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of Post-secondary school, post-secondary educatio ...

57, junior 46 and senior 68, leading the team for all four seasons. As a senior, Juraj Zaťovič became the Trojans' all-time leading scorer when he scored five goals against UC Santa Barbara. At the NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship in December 2005, his defense earned USC a third national title, and tournament co-

MVP MVP most commonly refers to: * Most valuable player, an award, typically for the best performing player in a sport or competition * Minimum viable product, a concept for feature estimating used in business and engineering MVP may also refer to: ...

honors for Zaťovič. He was selected as the American Water Polo Coaches Association Player of the Year and a first team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

for the third time. The past two years he was nominated for the Cutino Award, and finally received his Cutino in 2006. Zaťovič is majoring in international relations.

References

Juraj Zaťovič: USC Team Biography

1982 births Living people Slovak male water polo players Water polo players at the 2000 Summer Olympics Olympic water polo players for Slovakia USC School of International Relations alumni Sportspeople from Bojnice 21st-century Slovak sportsmen {{Slovakia-waterpolo-bio-stub