Gulliver’s Gabriel Lewis and Kathleen Serig are the Dade Water Polo Players of the Year
Gabriel Lewis was at the heart of Gulliver Prep’s breakthrough victory that put the Raiders back at the top of the state in boys’ water polo.
And Kathleen Serig is part of a foundation that’s been laid for a return to that kind of success on the girls’ side.
Their successes this season made Lewis and Serig the Miami Herald’s Boys’ and Girls’ Water Polo Players of the Year.
Lewis, who has signed with Pepperdine University, was one of the most versatile players in the pool this year. A senior utility, Lewis finished with 91 goals, 85 steals and 39 assists.
Lewis was instrumental in leading Gulliver to its first state championship since 2021 after pulling off a major victory over Orlando Dr. Phillips in the state final.
Dr. Phillips wasn’t just ranked No. 1 in the state. The Panthers had beaten Gulliver three times during the season.
But the Raiders built a lead early and hung on to take a 9-8 victory that clinched the school’s sixth state boys title since 2005.
“It was awesome to finally beat them,” Lewis said. “We had a good lead, but they got close and we made two good plays and shut them down. It was a perfect way to end my senior year.”
Lewis formed part of a core of four seniors along with center Mateo Ballestra, attacker Tobias Schoenwald and attacker Victor Gordon.
Gulliver still returns a strong core next season, but Lewis will be keeping an eye on things from the west coast as he prepares to play for a Pepperdine program that went 25-6 last season and finished ranked No. 7 in the nation.
“It’s an awesome opportunity they gave me and going out there will be a lot of fun,” Lewis said. “The location, Malibu, is great and I got along with a lot of the guys out there. I think they’ll elevate my game for sure.”
Serig, a junior attacker, totaled 111 goals, 44 assists and 57 steals. Her efforts helped Gulliver dominate the competition for most of the season. The Raiders reached the state semifinals before losing to Winter Garden West Orange.
But Serig, who has multiple college offers, is part of a core of players that will all return next season in the hopes of climbing that final hurdle. Gulliver, a program that once won a state-record eight consecutive state championships and over 200 matches in a row dating to the time before the sport was sanctioned by the FHSAA (2005), has not won a state girls’ title since 2013.
“I think overall we got to where we could considering we didn’t have a lot of seniors,” Serig said. “Individually, I accomplished a lot of improvements offensively and defensively. I got better at overall awareness in the pool.
“We have the same team coming back next season so I think we’ll be more experienced and can give it another shot next season.”
