USC men’s water polo has landed three players on the Peter J. Cutino Award Watch List for the second straight season, with Robert López Duart, Strahinja Krstic and Charles Mills all earning recognition.
López Duart is back on the list for the fourth time after a strong season that has him second on the team with 30 goals and 13 assists for 43 points. The senior driver has scored in 11 of USC’s 12 games and has turned in nine multi-goal outings.
He’s also chipped in 14 steals, three field blocks and three drawn exclusions. His biggest early-season surge came at the Triton Invitational, where he helped USC go 4-0 and picked up MPSF Player of the Week honors after piling up 15 goals on 17 attempts, five assists and four steals.
Against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, he was perfect, going 6-for-6 and adding two assists for eight points.
Krstic, the 2025 MPSF Newcomer of the Year, has taken a major step in his sophomore year. He leads USC with 38 goals and has found the net in every game this season.
He also leads both the Trojans and the MPSF with 43 drawn exclusions, including at least three in 10 of USC’s 12 games. His all-around impact shows up on defense too, where he has 16 steals and two field blocks.
Krstic set a career high with six goals against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and matched it in a win over No. 7 Long Beach State.
Mills completes the USC trio on the watch list. The two-time Trojan captain earned Third Team All-American honors in 2025 after a strong second season, and he has handled the primary role in goal this year.
Mills has 77 saves and has held opponents to single-digit scoring in seven appearances. He has also contributed 16 steals and four assists.
The Peter J. Cutino Award honors the top player in men’s and women’s college water polo.
The watch list was introduced in 2022 to help spotlight the college game, raise awareness of the award and highlight standout athletes around the country. Twenty players are named to the list, though it remains separate from the Cutino Award nomination and voting process, which will recognize the full impact of the 2026 season.
A women’s watch list will be released in Spring 2027.
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