Special Olympics Swim Meet!

Colin and Curtis at the Special Olympics Swim Meet!

For the fourth consecutive year, Boston University hosted the Massachusetts Special Olympics North Section Aquatics State Games Qualifier at FitRec this past Saturday.

The event, organized by BU’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, featured 300 Special Olympic athletes from different swim teams across the region. Members of the Boston University Men’s Water Polo team were among many of the student-athletes who assisted in everything from setting up for the event to recording the official times of the swimmers and handing out medals.

It was an absolute joy to be apart of such a wonderful event. The competitors are truly inspirational and it was such a pleasure to witness their smiles, friendliness, and competitive spirit. The Boston University Men’s Water Polo team is excited to be apart of next year’s Special Olympics again!

Austin Brashears Invitational Wrap-Up

When we initially decided to put together this tournament, our goal was to create a competitive end of the year tournament that would pay honor to our teammate Austin, and perhaps raise some money for the scholarship fund that had been created his name. Unfortunately, the dates for the tournament were too close to finals for most of the teams we invited to compete, but in the end it was still a weekend of competitive water polo, friendship, and most importantly remembering a great friend whom the BU Water Polo will never forget.

For the BU Men's team, the tournament opened on Saturday with a game against the BU Men's Alumni Team. For the first time in memory, the Alumni Team actually fielded a team larger than the regular club team. Despite the Alumni Team's size advantage in numbers (and waist) the Terriers were able to best their predecessors by 15-4. Captain Curtis Hon lead the team in goals, with contributions by Sean Hughes and Josh McDonough.

Next, BU faced their B-line rivals Boston College. In what quickly became a heated defensive battle, the Terriers and Eagles constantly traded leads. Down three-goals in the final few minutes of the last quarter, BU fought back furiously to the last second. Unfortunately, Boston College was able to hold-on and beat BU 11-10. Even though they were sadden by the loss, the Terriers took the competitive match as a sign of great improvement and a marker for what needs to be fixed for the fall.

On Sunday, BU lost two physical games against local Boston master water polo team, Metro. Always looking for ways to improve, BU took the games as learning experiences and used the games as a chance to learn from much more experience players, as well as another opportunity to play the game we love.

The team would like to thank the Brashears, Jamie Drahos, fellow alumni, Fitrec Aquatics, the Women's Water Polo team, and everyone else who helped us put this tournament together. We would never have been able to do this without all of you.

We would also like to thank our seniors Kyle Schulns, Brian Domanowski, Andreas Kapfhammer, as well as our graduating graduate student Jeremy Butz for all of their years of dedication to BU Water Polo.


Finally, a big thank you to Kelia Cowan for taking these amazing photographs - more will soon be available at the following link!

The Austin Brashears Invitational

Boston University Men's and Women's Water Polo hosts the first ever Austin Brashears Invitational in honor of our dear and remembered friend Austin Brashears.
On the Men's side, the BU men take on Boston College, a Boston Mixed team, and the formidable power-house Metro Water Polo. The Women face MIT, Boston College, and the Masters team.
Both teams welcome back our alumni with alumni games on Saturday at 4:20pm for the ladies and 5:20pm for the men.
Please find a biography of Austin at the following link: Retired Cap#14 - Austin Brashears
Stay tuned for results and updates, hope to see you all there!

Austin Brashears Invitational

BU Home Tournament

After a disappointing winless 1st weekend at Wesleyan College, the BU Men's Water Polo is hoping to prove themselves this weekend at their home tournament. All games will be taking place at Boston University's Fitness and Recreation Center. Fans are encouraged to show support for their Terriers as the men duke it out with some of the best New England has to offer. The schedule for the weekend is posted below:

Saturday, October 6, 2012

12:20 Boston University vs. Middlebury College

1:30 Dartmouth College vs. Wesleyan University

2:40 Boston College vs. Yale University

4:00 Middlebury College vs. Dartmouth College

5:10 Boston College vs. Wesleyan University

6:25 Middlebury College vs. Yale University

7:30 Boston University vs. Dartmouth College

8:50 Wesleyan University vs. Yale University

Sunday, October 7, 2012

12:20 Middlebury College vs. Boston College

1:30 Boston University vs. Wesleyan University

2:40 Yale University vs. Dartmouth College

4:00 Boston University vs. Boston College

Beginning of Year News

Yesterday, marked the semi-offical start of the BU Men's Water Polo Fall season with the beginning of the semester team meeting. Here is some quick information from the meeting in case you missed it.

Teams
This year BU will once again compete in the New England Division of the CWPA. The teams they will be competing against are as follows:
-Boston College
-Dartmouth College
-Middlebury College
-Yale University
-Wesleyan College

Officers
This year's club officers are as follows:
President-> Kyle Schulns
Vice President-> Brian Domanowski
Secretary-> Colin O'Neill
Treasurer-> Sean Hughes


League Tournaments

Our three league tournaments will take place during the months of September and October during the following weekends:
September 22/23 @Wesleyan College
October 6/7 @Boston University
October 20/21 @Middlebury College

We will also be scrimmages in the Fitrec Diving-well on the following dates:

-9/16 vs BC
-9/30 vs Metro
-10/14 vs. Tufts

Practices

As during previous semesters we will be practicing at
Monday 7-9pm
Wednesday 7-9pm
Friday 6-8pm
Sunday 5-7pm

All practices will take place in the FitRec Diving-well.

Dues

Dues for this season will be $150. Dues cover the cost of traveling and participating in tournaments. We ask that dues be payed in either cash or check(made out to Boston University). Please give dues to our Treasurer Sean Hughes. Any questions about dues can be directed to Sean or our Vice President Brian.

Summer 2012 Updates

As someone who has always loved the freedom and promise that only the summer months seem to offer, I find it odd how much I am looking forward to this upcoming fall. Maybe it's because Mumford and Sons is releasing a new album in September; or maybe it's because for the first time I'm facing adulthood and working full time in an office and am ready to return to the innocence of undergraduate life; or it could even be the small unair-conditioned apartment I've been living during this sweltering Boston summer.

Ok... so those are all the small reasons, but the main reason I'm excited for the fall is for the start of the BU Men's Water Polo 2012-2013 season. Coach Konrad, the team officers, and myself have been working hard the past couple of weeks to pull things together so we can start the season running. We are all stoked for the season to begin, and have just a few important updates we wanted to post, before we return to the banks of the Charles River.

The summer months began on a somber note for BU Water Polo community, when we tragically lost one of our own. At 6:00 AM on Saturday May 12, 2012, Austin Brashears lost his life in a tragic car accident, that also took the lives of two other BU Students and left five others hospitalized. Austin and the other students had been studying abroad in New Zealand at the time and were driving to visit the Tongariro Crossing, known for being the site of the filming of the Mount Doom scene in the Lord of the Rings.

Austin, a native of Huntington Beach, California, was studying mechanical engineering and minoring in energy technologies and environmental engineering. Besides being president and captain of the Men's Water Polo team, Austin was also a 2011 Orientation Student Advisor as well as a leader in the College of Engineering Community. We will always remember Austin as not only the fiercest and most hard-working competitor to ever don BU Men's Polo speedo, but also as a kind, light-hearted, and extremely intelligent friend who loved life and lived it to the fullest. The team has decided to dedicate the 2012-2013 season in his honor, and will be retiring his lucky 14 cap at a ceremony on Saturday October 6th from 11:00 am- 12:00 pm. We will post more details, as the ceremony draws nearer.

Austin during a time-out

The practice schedule for the 2012-2013 season has been set and will take place at the following times:

Monday: 7:00 pm- 9:00 pm
Wednesday: 7:00 pm- 9:00 pm
Friday: 6:00 pm- 8:00 pm
Sundays: 5:00 pm- 7:00pm

All practices will take place in the Pool Diving Well at the Boston University Fitness and Recreation center. In addition to the practice schedule, the CWPA New England Conference Schedule has also been set. The Conference league tournaments will take place on the following weekends:

9/22-23 @ Wesleyan University
10/6-7 @ Boston University
10/20-21(Conference Championships) @ Middlebury College

The team is also in the process of scheduling pre-season scrimmages with other local club teams.

If you are an incoming first-year student, or just interested in becoming involved with the team, make sure you check us on September 2nd out at SPLASH on Nickerson Field. We will be there actively recruiting new players, answering questions, and maybe even having a catch.

Hot pic of Colin from SPLASH 2011

That's all now, but continue to check back here for updates as the season draws nearer, and be sure to follow @BUWaterPolo for the most up to date water polo news and witticisms.

Mid-Spring Update

Remember that time Colin(Club Secretary) forgot to write a new blog post for 6 months?

Yeah, neither do I.

Well anyway, the Boston University Men's Club Water Polo Team is more than halfway through their Spring season and as active as ever. Even though our CWPA New England Conference Season is over by November, the team has been training and working hard to improve our skills for next fall.

At the end of last semester, the club elected it's new officers for the 2012 season. The results are as followed:

President: Austin Brashears(ENG '13)
Vice-President: Kyle Schluns(CAS '13)
Treasurer: Brian Domanowski(SED '13)
Secretary: Colin O'Neill(SED '14)

Congratulations to the new officers and good luck!

Over the weekend of January 28th-29th, the team participated in the Webster Aquatic Center Invitational. The tournament brought both collegiate and master teams from across the east coast and Canada to Rochester for a weekend of intense water polo action. Although, the team did not succeed in our goal of winning the tournament, the weekend proved to be a valuable learning experience for our young player. The tournament also proved to be major bonding weekend, as the team endured a grueling six hour drive through upstate New York.

This past Sunday (March 25th), the team hosted Northeastern for an off-season scrimmage. Thanks in part to the efforts of freshmen goalies Ron Glandian (CAS 15) and Braydon Hummeldorf (CAS 15), the Terriers were able to defeat the Huskies with a score of 11-3. David Saxon(CAS 12), Andrew Matsas(CAS 12), Jeremy Butz (SAR 11/13), and Jonathan Freedman (MED 15) all contributed goals.

The team is also planning to travel to Troy, New York over the weekend of April 14th-15th for a tournament at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

In addition to the RPI tournament, the Men's Water Polo Team has also organized the 2nd Annual Boston University Alumni Game. The game will take place on Saturday April 28th, from 6-9PM at the Boston University Fitness and Recreation Center (Fitrec). All alumni and family are invited to play in two games against the current water polo teams. After the games, participants will be invited to celebrate the end of the 2011/2012 season with the current team. A donation of $10 is requested. All proceeds will benefit the men's and women's BU teams, and will assist with league dues, transportation costs, and equipment.

If interested, please RSVP to Kyle Schluns at kschluns@bu.edu.

Sometimes Third Place Feels Like First Place

Wow, it is hard to believe that it has already been a month since our last tournament. Between the papers, exams, practices, projects, and games this fall has really flown by. Along with Autumn, so too has the New England's Conference Season sped by before our eyes.

Two weeks ago (October 15th and 16th) the Terriers journeyed up to Middlebury, Vermont to compete in the second New England Conference regular season tournament. Despite a 6:00 am departure from Boston, the team entered the majestic state of Vermont ready to play.

The Terries first faced the weekend's host Middlebury College. Although Middlebury put a bit of a fight in the first quarter, the Panthers were simply unable to generate goals against BU's aggressive press defense. BU coast to an easy first victory of the weekend with a score of 14-6. Unfortunately this would be the Terrier's only victory of the weekend.

Next the BU faced the B-Line rival Boston College. The two teams had previously faced off in a pre-season scrimmage at BU's Fitrec Center. BC dominated the scrimmage winning with an unofficial score of about 12-4. At the Yale tournament, BC proved that they were the team to beat going 4-0 beating Yale and Dartmouth in decisive battles. Despite the Eagle's recent success, the Terriers came into the game prepared for battle. Throughout the first three quarters, BU and BC remained in a deadlock, often exchanging leads. Despite the Terrier's best defensive efforts, the Eagles were able to pull away in the fourth quarter, leading BU to lose 8-6.

Exhausted from their battle with BC, the Terriers returned almost less than an hour later for their third game of the day, this time against Wesleyan University. The Cardinals took advantage of the Terriers' weariness and jumped to an early 3-1 lead in the first quarter. The Terriers, surprised by Wesleyan's renewed aggressiveness, attempted to make up their deficit. Unfortunately the Cardinals were just too much for the tired Terriers and BU lost their second game of the day to Wesleyan 9-6.

After some Indian food and a goodnight's rest, the Terrier returned to the pool Sunday morning to play Dartmouth. Due to a car accident on their way to the game, Dartmouth was left with only about half of their team. Despite their lack of substitutes, Dartmouth still made a formidable opponent for the Terriers. Once again BU and Dartmouth spent the game exchanging leads. Unfortunately BU was just simply unable to produce goals and lost their third game of the weekend 7-5.

With only a week until the championship, many across the New England Conference saw BU's 1-3 weekend as death sentence. But the Terrier's took pain from the weekend and turned into motivation to prove themselves as one of the elite teams in the area. After a week of intense practice and film sessions, BU returned to Connecticut ready to compete in New England Championships.

BU open their championship weekend with a game against new foe, Wesleyan. After losing to the weekend's host only a week prior, the Terriers were hungry for revenge. With a fast moving offense and debilitating defense the 4th seeded BU was able to shut down the 5th seeded Wesleyan early and win their first game of the championships 10-5.

Feeding off the energy from their Wesleyan victory, the Terriers came into their next with high energy and determination to knock off Yale University, the tournament's 1st seeded team. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs also came into the game looking for a victory. Throughout the game, Yale used its players speed to score quick counter-attack goals. Unable to control the Bulldogs' counter-attacks the Terriers fell to Yale for the second time this season 12-4.

After a restful evening, BU returned to New England Conference action Sunday morning energetic and determined to qualify for the championship final. The only thing standing in their way was a game against Dartmouth. Once again the evenly match teams participated in a defensive battle in which neither team seemed able to score. After a tough game, Dartmouth was able to pull ahead in the match's waning minutes beating BU with a score of 5-3. With the victory, Dartmouth earned a berth to the championship final where they would face ivy rival Yale. BU, on the other hand was exiled to the third place game where they would face none other than rival BC.

Determined to prove themselves as a legitimate team, the Terriers entered the game with all guns firing. BU jumped to an early 5-0 lead over the Eagles in the first quarter. By halftime the Terriers had expanded the lead to 8-1. Determined not to go down without a fight, BC charged in the second half. Fortunately thanks to skillful defense and careful offensive strategy the Terriers were able to hold their lead and earn a final victory over BC 10-7. This victory marked the second straight year the Terriers finished in Third Place at the CWPA New England Conference Championships.

Were we disappointed that we did not win the whole championship? Maybe a little, but not only had we placed in an league that had grown competitively by leaps and bounds. We had also beaten our rival who had beaten us mercilessly less than a month earlier. Sure, first place and a berth to the national championships in Atlanta Georgia would have been awesome. All I know is that I have never been so happy as I was at that moment when we were all jumping around in the warm-up pool with my teammates, waiting for someone to take a picture to commemorate our victory. It's amazing how sometimes a third place victory over Boston College can feel like an Olympic gold medal.

CWPA New England Conference 3rd Place!
CWPA New England Conference 3rd Place!

Sadly our third place victory also marked the final official CWPA tournament for seniors Andrew Ajemian(CAS 12), Andrew Matsas(CAS 12), David Saxon(CAS 12), and Biomedical-Engineering Grad Student Kevin Schwann. These players will be sorely missed. Once again thank you seniors(and Kevin) for your time, dedication, and friendship to the Boston University Men's Water Polo Club.

-Colin O'Neill
Club Secretary

Yale Tournament Recap

Judging by the cooler weather, increase of school work, and emergence of pumpkin spice flavored iced-lattes it appears that fall as finally arrived in Boston. This means one thing: CWPA New England Conference Men's League Play!

This season, the New England Conference is looking as strong as ever with the reemergence of Boston College after their one year hiatus and the departure of Williams College. As usual Yale, Dartmouth and BU are all contending for the top spot, with Wesleyan and Middlebury not far behind. As usual, BU left the first weekend of competition with a record of 2-2

The Terriers' first game was against the weekend's host, Yale. As always Yale proved to be a formidable foe for the Terriers on Saturday. BU was able to stay close for most of the game, but unable to convert valuable 6-on-5 opportunities into goals Yale eventually won the game 12-6.

A little over two hours later, BU was back in the pool this time facing Dartmouth. Despite Dartmouth's superior speed, BU was able to keep the game extremely close with an aggressive press defense. After exchanging the lead multiple times during the first three quarters, Dartmouth finally pulled away in the fourth quarter beating the aggressive terriers 11-7.

Not disheartened by their first two losses, BU returned back to the Robert J.H. Kiphuth Exhibition Pool for their third game of the day. Playing a self-coached Wesleyan, BU jumped to an early 4-0 lead in the first quarter. Wesleyan, not one to go down easy, sprang back in the second quarter to shut down BU's offense and take the lead 5-4. After a half-time pep talk from new Head Coach, Konrad Szupinski, the team returned to pool determined to garner their first victory of the season. Through an increased offensive effort and intense press defense, the Terriers were able to regain the lead and hold it, winning 12-8.

After a good night's rest, BU finished their season opening weekend with an early Sunday morning game versus Middlebury College. Looking to clamp down on malicious game-play, the referees punished BU early for their aggressive style of defense. With hole-set Austin Brashears rolled-out, and Assistant Coach, Rebecca Crastnopol issued a yellow card, both within the first 2:30 of the game, things were not looking bright for BU. But, through the offensive efforts of David Saxon, Andrew Matsas, Kyle Schluns, Jeremy Butz, as well as superb hole-defense by Kevin Chu, BU was able to pull through and gain a second victory besting Middlebury 13-7.

BU returns to play next weekend, when they travel back to the Nutmeg State, this time to participate in the Connecticut College Invitational. Be sure to check back here for updates as well as follow us on Twitter at @buWaterPolo #iswearitsworthit.

First Tournament at Yale University

First tournament of the season this weekend!
Follow us @buwaterpolo to get updated scores.

Yale University, New Haven, Conn.
Friday, September 23, 2011
8:30 Yale University vs. Wesleyan University
Saturday, September 24, 2011
2:20 Yale University vs. Boston University
3:25 Dartmouth College vs. Middlebury College
4:30 Boston College vs. Wesleyan University
5:35 Dartmouth College vs. Boston University
6:40 Middlebury College vs. Boston College
7:45 Boston University vs. Wesleyan University
8:50 Yale University vs. Dartmouth College
Sunday, September 25, 2011
8:20 Middlebury College vs. Boston University
9:25 Boston College vs. Dartmouth College
11:20 Middlebury College vs. Wesleyan University
12:25 Yale University vs. Boston College