The No. 17 Men’s Club Water Polo team looks to avenge last year’s first round upset loss in the Mid-Atlantic Regionals this year.
Penn State is seeded first overall in the west region and will take on Delaware in its opening round at the McCoy Natatorium.
They’ve completed rigorous training and preparation leading up to this event. Water Polo Club President Ian Golden explained further.
“We practice for two hours, Sunday through Wednesday every week,” Golden said. “We swim to train our legs and work on ball control with passing drills.”
But there is more to preparation than just the physical aspects. Senior Andrew Nagelberg said they heavily strategize as well.
“We watch a lot of previous game tapes and try to improve on our past mistakes,” Nagelberg said. “We tackle all parts of the game.”
Golden said they have a strong roster of upperclassmen with four senior starters as well as contributions from freshmen and returning sophomores.
Penn State is one of eight teams that are vying for a chance to win. Nagelberg noted the toughest competition to look out for would be Villanova and UPenn.
The team hopes to win regionals and get an automatic bid to the National Championships taking place at Oregon State. Penn State last won them in 2009.
Every team will play through Sunday and teams will advance based on placing. Competition kicks off at noon and Penn State begins play at 2:20 p.m.
