News:
Men's Water Polo Takes 4th at Nationals
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Tough draw, bad luck in tournament doesn't dampen spirits after 18-5 season
Hitting post after post, the No. 2 Arizona men's water
polo team knew the ball just wasn't going to bounce its way.
The Wildcats fell 10-5 to top-ranked Michigan State in the semifinals of the
Collegiate Water Polo Association National Championships, held this weekend at
the Student Recreation Center.
Arizona hit the post 19 times during Sunday morning's match against MSU, then
fell to No. 18 Miami (Ohio) 12-11 in the consolation game that afternoon after a
controversial call against the Wildcats sealed their fourth-place finish.
"I was disappointed we didn't play well as a team against Michigan State," said
senior Todd Carpenter.
Having played the Spartans tough in a last-minute, one-goal loss earlier in the
season, Arizona knew it could win this time around but didn't execute well
enough to beat the defending national champions.
The Wildcats were seeded fourth based on their fourth-place finish in last
year's national championship tournament.
"We played really well," said head coach Emily Schmit. "It was great to be at
home. We really fed of the energy of the crowd. It was just unfortunate that we
drew MSU in the third round."
Even though the year didn't end with a championship, and key components of the
team will be lost, the team should be in good hands after accomplishing most of
its season goals, Carpenter said.
But, he added, the team just won't be the same next year with team president
Alex Kane leaving.
"(Kane) took on a huge responsibility to make sure everything would go as
planned," Carpenter said. "He was the biggest role model on the team and a big
player at the same time."
The team's biggest goal was to make a bigger push for recognition with the hopes
of becoming an NCAA Division-I program, and Kane did his part to make that
happen. Being the team's schedule-maker and travel agent, Kane helped Arizona
twice play the nation's No. 1 team, the California junior college champions and
a team of former D-I players this season.
The Wildcats' ensuing 18-5 record showcased the kind of talent in Tucson, Kane
said.
He also wrote a letter to athletic director Jim Livengood imploring him to try
and make Arizona water polo a D-I sport, pointing to the team's recent string of
success as proof that it deserves to compete against the best teams in the
country on a regular basis.
This year's fourth-place finish marks the fourth consecutive year the men's
water polo team has finished the year ranked at least No. 4 in the country - a
feat Kane said highlights the great history of Arizona water polo.
Although he won't be a part of the team next year, Kane is confident in the
team's abilities to fit in with all the other championship teams in Tucson.
"We're losing six valuable seniors, so we're losing a lot of age and wisdom, but
we have a lot of young scoring talent and speed that will take over next year,"
Kane said. "This was one of our best freshman recruiting classes ever and
there's a handful of guys that are ready to step into a role on the A-team next
year."
Schmit is also excited for next season - her second as head coach - to see a
young team develop and fill the holes the departing seniors will leave behind.
The future certainly appeared bright as Arizona handily defeated New York 17-3
in its first game Friday morning and dispatched No. 4 Florida International 11-9
in the second round Saturday morning.
"We have lots of juniors who are ready to step up and take over," Schmit said,
noting junior Alex Negronida's first-team all tournament honors. "Our young
talent is ready and raring to go."