Washington University has a top 20 nationally ranked water polo team. Unknown to most of the University population, the team has quietly gained a national spotlight from old-fashioned hard work and high school recruiting.
“Our connections to our high schools are the main form of recruitment. Many of our players come from the same high schools throughout the country,” said senior Dan Kozlov, the team’s co-president.
Despite its ability to recruit talented athletes devoted to the game, a club sport like water polo must always deal with the issue of money. In order to stay above the water line (no pun intended), the squad maintains a strict budget and receives a “good” amount of money from Student Union. How much they are given is often correlated with how successful the team is.
Despite Student Union funding, team members still have to pay between $100-$250 dollars a season to keep the team afloat, an amount with which they are willing to part for the team’s success. The final amount each member has to pay depends on the number of trips the team takes.
“Six years ago we didn’t get much funding and we weren’t good. However, Student Union has stepped up the funding and they have seen results,” said Kozlov.
Now in its sixth year of competition, the team is considered an underdog in the Division I world. Facing many “uneven” standards, the team is nonetheless very efficient at winning when it counts.
Starting off the season sluggishly, the team ultimately found itself at a record of 3-5. Being a major underdog and the fourth seed out of five in the Missouri Valley Conference, however, the team rattled off some timely victories against Lindenwood University’s “B” Team and rival Western Illinois to find itself facing Lindenwood’s “A” Team in the Conference Finals. Even though the team lost 19-7, members found themselves in second place in the conference. Lindenwood decided to take a bid to the Division III National Championships, opening up the Missouri Valley Conference spot to the Bears.
“It is very hard to compete with Lindenwood and other teams in the league for various factors, such as time commitment and scholarships,” said Kozlov.
Lindenwood University, located in St. Charles, Mo., is about the same size as Washington University. Lindenwood is known for favoring its sports and scholarships over its academics, though.
“Lindenwood is giving out scholarships all the way up to full rides. We cannot compete with that because we are a club team and we cater to a different student,” said Kozlov.
Another factor regarding the Missouri Valley Conference that is disadvantageous to the Bears is the type of schools in the conference. Unlike the University Athletic Association (UAA), which includes several schools that have similar academics to Wash. U., the Missouri Conference is made up of Lindenwood, Northern Illinois, and Western Illinois. With the exception of Lindenwood, these teams have between 1,200 to 12,000 more students than the University, creating a potentially larger and more talented pool.
Nevertheless, the Bears stood up to the challenges they faced and have taken the water polo world by storm. This season, the team was led by seniors Andrew Killips, who had seven out of the nine goals in the National Championships, Matt Weber, who was a three-year veteran on the squad, and goalkeeper Kozlov.
Referring to reasons behind the team’s overall 3-5 record, Kozlov noted, “We were playing very unorganized at the start of the season because we didn’t have a coach. Another problem is that many guys didn’t really come to practices often.”
The team, which practices three times a week, racking up 15-20 total hours per week, finally found a coach. In doing so, the team gained the motivation it needed and found itself the 14th seed in the Division I National Club Championships, which were held Nov. 18.
Due to the timing of the Club Championships, six out of the 10 starters didn’t make the trip for academic reasons. This gave the opportunity for many freshmen to step up and fill in during their first year.
In the Championships, the Bears faced off against Michigan State University in the first game of the tournament, but was outmatched by the much bigger Spartan team, losing 21-1. The Spartans ended up losing in the Championship game and taking home second place.
In the second game the squad faced Big 12 powerhouse Iowa State. Playing a very poor first half, the Bears went into halftime down 10-1. Better defense and six goals from Andrew Killips narrowed the gap to 18-8, however, before the Bears finally lost and ended their season.
The team looks to rebuild and reload for next season, with an already strong foundation in place to build a “great” team.
“We have so many freshmen and many of them have National Championship experience. There is no reason why this club shouldn’t be great in the years to come,” said Kozlov.
The club is set up like a corporation, according to Kozlov. The team puts juniors and underclassmen in roles on the board to prepare how to run the club. Junior Alex Mueller will be looked to as one of the new leaders for next year.
“The club is a lot like a business. We have to allocate money, set up travel, manage people, and hopefully win some games along the way,” said Kozlov.
The team has been invited to three off-season tournaments in Iowa, Colorado, and New Orleans for the rest of this season.