Left-handers bring a different element to water polo, and from 2002 to 2012 no American southpaw was as accomplished as Peter Varellas. Growing up in the East Bay of Northern California, Varellas was a standout at Campolindo High School in Moraga before joining a star-studded Stanford University team across the Bay. He helped the Cardinal reach four consecutive NCAA championship games, including a victory as a freshman, in 2002. He was a consistent force on the Farm: a two-time All-America who amassed 168 goals, was named the Pac-10 Male Athlete of the Year as a senior, received the Stanford Most Outstanding Male Senior Award, and was chosen as a recipient of an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.

At the same time, his national team career was on the rise. He quickly became a key piece of the squad, helping the US win gold at the 2007 Pan American Games. He then delivered five goals and seven assists during Team USA's breakthrough performance at the 2008 Beijing Olympics where the team earned its first men's medal since 1988, the silver. Varellas added another PanAm title in 2011 then capped up for his second Olympics in London in 2012 and retired after the Games to attend the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Professionally, Varellas competed for Rari Nantes in Savona, Italy, from 2006-2010 and at home with The Olympic Club in San Francisco. Varellas is now an athlete representative on the USA Water Polo Board of Directors.