Everyone knows about the Oregon and Oregon State rivalry, but it’s not often talked about in club men’s water polo.
The rivalry took center stage on Oct. 26 when Oregon lost to Oregon State 12-11 in the regional championship game in Corvallis.
Although the loss was the last thing the Ducks wanted, the moment lit a fire under the team and sparked a new-found intensity, especially with the new Student Recreation Center pool opening for winter term.
“We met before the season started with a ton of goals and expectations, the way we wanted to see the season go, and I think we did nothing but put those into practice,” senior captain Colton Saunders said. “I saw a huge turnaround from the previous years and I’ve been here to see this one.”
Saunders said that the team took everything more seriously this year. From practice rigor to swim sets for conditioning, there was a definite structure that helped set the tone for the season. He hopes to keep that positivity rolling into next season.
“We had a ton of fun, worked really hard,” sophomore Mitchel O’Donnell said. “It was a bit of disappointment in the end because we were expected to beat Oregon State, but we didn’t. But for next year, especially because we are returning every single starter, we set a precedence of what we are going to do next year and what we want to achieve.”
The team knows that with the addition of a new, on-campus pool, the dynamic will change for practice.
“It’s definitely a push forward,” Saunders said. “It will get us some recognition, get people coming out to our games, and seeing that we are competitive and that we are fun to watch. The new pool is going to be a huge advantage to us, as a team, as us getting better individually and letting us improve on our own time.”
O’Donnell believes that spectators wholeheartedly enjoy the game because it’s easy to pick up and full of non-stop action. This winter, University of Oregon will offer a water polo aquatics class at the new pool.
“It’s definitely been a cool thing, seeing freshmen come in with their unique talents in water polo,” Saunders said. “Also getting to know them outside the pool and what their interests are, and really seeing that water polo is another avenue for you to have a social group that you hang with.”
With an increasing number of University of Oregon students coming from northern and southern California – a hotbed for talent in the sport – there will likely be an increase in interest for club water polo.
O’Donnell — who turned down offers from UC Santa Barbara, George Washington and Fordham to play — was drawn in by the culture within the team. He decided that the time commitment of Division I wasn’t worth it either.
“This year, we were a lot younger, and it took some ironing the kinks out and it took us a season,” O’Donnell said. “It’s a bummer that we couldn’t figure it out by the end of the season, but next year, we are going to be legit.”
Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne