Last weekend, the Mercer Island Boys Water Polo team attended the State tournament and placed fourth overall for the second consecutive year.
The team’s commitment and hard work is evident, with copious preparation and training devoted to their wins this season. “This year we were more of a team, we got along like a team,” senior captain Eoin Sjothun said when reflecting on their season. “[It took] a lot of swimming, [and] a lot of hard work to get there.”
At this season’s State tournament, the team beat Curtis High School, who beat them last year. The Islanders’ win against them was a big highlight for this season, as Curtis placed fifth this year. Another triumph this year was Senior Night, where MI beat rival Bellevue 12-4.
While reflecting, the captains talked about the highs and lows of the season. “I feel that this season’s games were much more team-oriented. Our offensive and defensive strategy relied more on running plays as a team, which wasn’t the case in previous years,” Ben Wu said. “Many players on the team didn’t play during the off-season, so a large portion of the varsity team didn’t have much game experience.”
“This year we played more as a team relying [on] each other throughout the game and playing as a team both on offense and defense,” Sjothun said.
However, Sjothun hopes the team continues the momentum by working harder next year.
“Many players didn’t take it seriously and didn’t focus until the very end of the season,” Sjothun said. “We should’ve worked hard[er] the whole season to improve.”
Overall, the Boys Water Polo team’s success this season is notable, with hopes of another state trip next year.
