Water polo soaked early Panthers face tough teams during preseason

Author: Geoff Homer

Kicking off their 2005 campaign, the North Atlantic Division defending champion Middlebury men's water polo team traveled to Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada this past weekend for a preseason tournament. With limited practice time under their belts, the team intended to get some experience in the pool and give everyone the ability to contribute the first weekend.

The Panthers had four matches against local teams, including Ottawa University, Carleton University, the Ottawa Titans and another club team. Middlebury faced tough competition, but the Panthers kept a positive outlook through the weekend. According to team captain Alex Demas '06: "As a team we played well, but we lost three games. It is more of a learning experience and we tried to get guys on the team a chance to get some quality time in the pool."

To give perspective on the competition in Canada, where water polo is a big sport, two members of the Ottawa team will be competing in the World Junior Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Needless to say, competing against a strong field only served as preparation for what the team will encounter during the year.

The season outlook looks positive as the team returns a deep and talented squad, missing only two starters. Led by captains Alex Demas '06 and Robert Hillas '06, the team has great depth and contains a strong first-year class that will be counted on to contribute off the bench. Matt Sullivan '08 and Andrew Herzik '07 had a great showing this weekend and are expected to be a major force in the pool this year.

Looking ahead, according to captain Demas, "Our goals include defending our division title and finishing higher than 11th at Club Nationals." Rival Dartmouth has lost quite a few talented players, giving the Panthers hope for continued success in the North Atlantic division if they can play up to their abilities.

The Panthers look to begin their title defense this weekend at Bates College, with matches scheduled against Bates, Colby and Dartmouth.