Not many people at Dartmouth realize that we have an athletic program that is so dominant that it is out-scoring its opponents by nearly 3.5 to 1 -- a program that won a national championship as recently as 1997 and looks poised to compete for another one this year. The coach is one of the nation's finest athletes in the sport, and the students who play are experienced and passionate about the sport.
The team I'm referring to is the men's club water polo squad, and very few people know of the squad's performance because we don't get to see it play at Dartmouth. The team's triumphs aren't published on dartmouthsports.com, and The D rarely covers the team.
But water polo deserves recognition for what it has accomplished in the past and what it is accomplishing this year, going 7-1 so far while out-scoring its opponents nearly 100-30. Dartmouth is ranked number one going into the New England divisional championship in late October, ahead of squads from the University of Massachusetts-Amhert, Boston College, Boston University, Yale, Middlebury, Williams and Wesleyan, with the winner of the championship going on to compete at nationals.
The Big Green men's water polo team is ranked No. 21 nationally today, but after dominating the competition at last weekend's invitational at Middlebury, it is likely that the club's ranking will rise. Wins over the weekend included a 12-7 win over Yale, a 14-3 win over Middlebury and a crushing 15-1 victory over Wesleyan.
By the way, that's the same Wesleyan squad Dartmouth will face off against in the first round of the division championship.
Dartmouth has come oh-so-close to making it to nationals the past two years with one-goal losses in each to the eventual winner of the New England divisional championship. This year looks to be different, as the team has the talent to beat anybody in the division.
The squad is led by captains Porter Diehl '09 and Doug Nelson '10, goalkeeper Kyle Finnegan '09, Drew Wenzel '08 and the Bazcylwicz brothers, two graduate students. Some players walk on with little or no prior experience, but most have played water polo extensively in high school.
Dartmouth's biggest rival is Middlebury, a team that the Big Green has traditionally traded wins against the past several years.
"We look to crush [Middlebury] every year, and that's exactly what we did this year," Diehl said, referencing the squad's 14-3 slaughter of Middlebury earlier this season.
Traditional water-polo powerhouse University of California-Berkeley is currently just two points ahead of the Big Green in the polls, and all that may change in next week's poll. Boston College lost to Yale, which Dartmouth beat 12-7, so Dartmouth hopes to leapfrog at least the Eagles in the polls.
Head coach Randy Budner is a well-respected figure in the sport, having played internationally for the New York Athletic Club, widely considered to be one of the best water polo teams in the country. With his steady hand leading the Dartmouth squad, the sky is the limit as the championship season approaches.
The Big Green travels to Yale this weekend for one last tune-up before the all-important New England Divisional Championship. While it is difficult to watch the squad since they are always traveling, we can all appreciate the excellence this year's team has accomplished in such a difficult sport.
For those of you who paid attention to the Olympics in Beijing this summer, you probably saw at least one men or women's water polo game on television. If you didn't, trust me: It's an exciting sport that most of us, including me, would never be able to play.
The closest I have ever come is volleyball back home in a three-foot-deep pool, which isn't really close at all. I can hardly imagine how hard it is to constantly swim in water too deep to stand, keeping head, arm and ball above water, while still being able to generate enough energy to propel the ball past a goalkeeper and into a tiny net.
Dartmouth club water polo players deserve every ounce of respect they receive and more. So next time you see someone sporting a green, water polo sweatshirt around campus, say 'hi' and try to keep tabs on the team's progress. You may be talking to the campus's next national champion.
