Lauren Shelburne | Banner Clint Walling, senior construction management major and utility player, looks to block the ball from Ryan Penney, junior kinesiology major and 2-meter player, during a scrimmage, bringing the team to victory. The team practices daily to prepare for the remainder of the season.
This summer, the California Baptist University men’s water polo team competed in pre-season games with a new head coach.
Kevin Rosa, former head coach at Martin Luther King high school, joined the Lancers before summer began. Rosa said the summer games were a learning experience for the team, and the games prepared the team for the upcoming season
with experience.
“Twenty-five percent of our team are new players,” Rosa said. Rosa said he wanted to make connections a part of the experience of becoming the new head coach for the team.
Spencer Shore, senior marketing major and driver, said the summer games prepared the team for the upcoming fall season.
“Incoming freshmen get to play against conference opponents before the season starts,” Shore said. “It helps us develop a game plan.”
The team is going on its third year of competing in the Western Water Polo Association and has continued to make a name for the program.
Joey Moorman, junior healthcare administration major and goalie for the Lancers,said the team did some good things this summer, including defeating University of California, San Diego and Air Force Academy, two conference names.
“We have the talent,” Moorman said. “The summer league gives us a little bit of confidence.”
Rosa, as well as the rest of the team, feels that the summer seaon was a good look on what to expect in the regular season ahead of them.
Moorman said he and the rest of the team have good chemistry, resulting in high expectations for a historical season.
“As a team, we are expecting a history-making year. We are an extremely talented group and have blended better than any team I have played on,” he said. “We have a lot of work to do, but we are willing to do the hard work in order to have a successful season.”
The regular season continues for the Lancers on Sept. 12.
