October 9, 2014
Few sports require the endurance or intensity of water polo. Several weekends during the fall, the Hamilton men’s water polo team competes against teams from around the state for four eight-minute quarters. So far, this has taken the Continentals to the United States Military Academy at West Point and Cornell University. The New York division of the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) is notoriously challenging for Division III teams like Hamilton, as it features powerhouses like Cornell and Columbia, who are among the best Division I teams in the nation. Even with this challenge, the Continentals have had a solid season so far, and believe they are poised to go into their next tournament.
Over the weekend of Sept. 27, Hamilton traveled to West Point for its first tournament. As captain Reuben Dizengoff ’15 is keen to point out, the team has one of the more talented groups of first-years since its inception. “This year’s [first-year] class is the deepest, in terms of water polo talent and knowledge, that I have ever seen.” This was the first chance for the young team to take to the water. While at West Point, Hamilton took on rivals New York University in their first game, falling 11-8. In their second game, they took on Columbia in a 17-11 loss. The following day, the Continentals annihilated Merchant Marine Academy 24-9 and lost to Army 14-8.
This past weekend, the Continentals were in Ithaca to play Cornell, Colgate and Binghamton. This tournament presented the team with challenges from top-tier teams like Cornell and Columbia, as well as easier games against Binghamton and Colgate. Matching up first with the Big Red, Hamilton was taken down 10-5, but came back strong in their second game, giving Binghamton a thrashing at 16-5. Their third game proved to be the closest challenge of the year as the Continentals overwhelmed Colgate 14-12.
In their final game of the weekend, Cornell put the hammer down, winning 15-2. Though they have come out of their first two tournaments with a 3-5 record, Dizengoff is confident they are a stronger team than their record shows. “These results are not indicative of how strong our team is. We have the ability to compete against any team in the league as evidenced by our talented roster and our stellar defensive prowess,” Dizengoff shared.
With a defense anchored by veterans Zack Dix ’15 and John McBratney ’16, the team members look to be strong in the upcoming state championships. They have also added first-years Case Tatro in goal and Clay Holmes on the right-wing, who is looking to add to his goal totals. For Hamilton, the state championship is more about qualifying for the national championship than bragging rights.
Hamilton will once again play host to the state championships, a tournament held here for almost half-a-decade (the only exception being in 2011, when the school hosted Nationals). The tournament will be held on Oct. 25 and 26 and will feature every team in the state. Hamilton enters as the sixth seed and will take on NYU in a rivalry rematch with high stakes. This game determines who gets the New York Division bid to Nationals. The winner will get a ticket to Brunswick, ME to play against the top division III teams in the nation at Bowdoin’s LeRoy Greason Pool. A win against NYU would mark the fourth time in five years that the Continentals make it to Nationals.
Dizengoff remains confident in his team’s abilities. They have played some of the best teams in the league, and have emerged with their heads held high. With such a big challenge ahead in the game against NYU, the team is hoping for maximum school spirit in the crowd. With the challenge of New York Championships ahead, Dizengoff says, “The team looks to build on our experience and competitive results from league play to propel us to compete for the national championship.”
The Continentals will take on the Bobcats of NYU in a do-or-die game on Oct. 25 at 11:00 a.m. in Hamilton’s Bristol Pool.
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