Katherine Harris
Senior Writer
The men’s water polo team dominated over Fall Break, racking up four wins in its home tournament versus Navy, George Washington, Johns Hopkins, and Princeton.
“All the wins were great team wins where everyone contributed,” Mike Kimble ’14 said. “Our defense requires that we help each other, and this is exactly why we as a team are a solid group that will beat any team.”
The Bison began their weekend on Oct. 12 in Kinney Natatorium against Navy’s squad. Sean Daley ’17 led the way on the offensive end, scoring three goals and recording five assists for a total of eight points, a team-high for the season. Jack Else ’14 and Kimble also scored three goals each, leading the team to an 11-10 victory.
The Orange and Blue continued to succeed on the offensive end when they took on George Washington that evening. Else recorded three goals again, while Kimble and Stefan Aleksic ’16 both scored two each. On the defensive end, Keegan Williams ’15 helped the Bison to an eventual 12-9 victory with his nine saves in the match, totaling 17 that day.
“The new press defense we are running is really working well for our team and is allowing us to make a lot of steals, which leads to more goals,” Williams said. “We will continue to work on playing against a press offense and moving the ball around the perimeter, working for our centers.”
The Orange and Blue then took on John Hopkins on Oct. 13 with the chance to extend their weekend winning streak. Williams had a very strong match in goal, recording 14 saves and three steals. Else and Kimble scored four and three goals respectively, while Aleksic and Julian Colina ’14 both had two in the 13-6 victory.
Else led the Bison to victory once again in the afternoon match against Princeton for Senior Day. Else and Stephen Norton ’14 scored four and two goals respectively, while fellow seniors Colina, Alex Nowlin, Kimble, and Andrew Somers also had strong offensive performances. The win over 12th-ranked Princeton was their first victory over a ranked team since last year’s Eastern Championship, and it brought their record to 10-4 for the season.
“Our seniors all had great final home games, and our sophomores continued to provide strong consistent play,” Williams said. “We also had our freshmen step up and really contribute to our success that weekend.”
The Orange and Blue wrapped up their league play during the weekend with a 5-3 record in the CWPA Southern Division to secure second place. Else and Williams were named Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week for the conference, respectively, and the team moved into 20th nationally following their performance over the weekend. The Bison will take on Pacific and then play four games in the Santa Clara Rodeo this upcoming weekend.
“We can never be complacent,” Kimble said. “Teams are always getting better from year to year and we can never be happy with success from last year. If we aren’t improving then we are losing.”