Colgate University’s club water polo team provides the perfect balance of competition and fun for its players. Junior Katie Maratea and sophomores Morgan Morel and Lilia Hayduchok are co-captains of the women’s team. They lead weekly practices, organize games and foster a supportive environment. 

The women’s team is a part of the Collegiate Water Polo Association, New York Division. The team plays against Hamilton College, Columbia University, New York University, Syracuse University and Cornell University. Of the three main tournaments, Colgate hosts one in the middle of February.

Morel discussed competition season and the overall atmosphere of the league.

“We play against every team throughout [the season], and the league is very friendly,” Morel said. “Our closest competitor is Hamilton College; they’re a very good team and have around the same experience level as we do.”

Hayduchok elaborated on the season and the ways in which traveling for competitions cultivates a sense of community.

“One aspect of New York water polo that’s so fun is traveling and meeting people from different schools,” Hayduchok said. “When we go to Hamilton College to practice together or play in a tournament, it’s more than just playing water polo. We hang out with the other teams and foster a community that’s more cooperative than competitive.”

The captains arrange team practices two to three times a week during competition season, in which they practice different drills to help the members learn the positions and build technique to prepare them for competition. Morel elaborated on the ins-and-outs of a typical practice. 

“We have a small team as of right now, so we’re limited in certain drills that we can do,” Morel said. “My favorite, though, is a pass-and-shoot drill, where one side will swim towards the goal and receive a pass in the water in front of them and then shoot — we call this a wet pass. The other side will swim towards the goal stop and receive a pass without the ball touching the water and then shoot — this is called a dry pass.”

Club water polo welcomes students of all levels. Encouraged by her Link Leader to try out the team, Maratea went to her first practice and immediately clicked with the group.

“I joined water polo because I love swimming and it has always been my favorite form of exercise,” Maratea said. “I didn’t have any prior experience, but my teammates have introduced me to the sport and taught me how to play in a match. I love trying new things and am glad that I took a chance with a new sport.” 

In contrast to Maratea, Hayduchok played water polo throughout middle and high school.

“It was a no-brainer to join the team and continue creating memories by playing this sport I love,” Hayduchok said. 

Hayduchok encouraged students with no prior experience to try out water polo. 

“Since our league is so collaborative and accommodating, I encourage anyone to join water polo who is interested in the sport or even anyone who likes to swim,” Hayduchok said. “There’s no reason to be intimidated, since our team is all about having fun and growing as players and as a team. I am the coach for our team and am confident in teaching any new players.”

Morel emphasized how much she appreciate her teammates and their drive to learn and improve.

“My favorite part of the team is definitely the people on it,” Morel said. “Many people on the team have never played before and those who have played before do a good job of explaining the game and teaching. Everyone on the team is really nice and welcoming. It’s the reason I’ll always come back for another season.”

Hayduchok echoed these thoughts and shared some of the team’s favorite Upstate New York locations for team bonding.

“We go out to dinner with our team for more outside-of-the-water bonding. One of our favorites is Rio Grande in New Hartford. We’ll definitely be going out to dinner in a few weekends during the annual Columbia tournament and [New York City] trip. We also plan events with the team, like going to the Clay Club pottery studio for fun team bonding,” Hayduchok said.

The men’s water polo team is currently being re-developed. The team disbanded during the COVID-19 pandemic, but first-years Jordan Quimby and Zac Zedlitz have taken on the mantle of forming a new team.

Zedlitz explained that they decided to start up a new team because of their mutual past experience with the sport. 

“[Quimby] and I took on creating a new team because we both played in high school and water polo was a big part of our lives. After taking some time off and realizing the team no longer existed here, we somehow found each other and agreed to try to start up the club again,” Zedlitz said.

Zedlitz described how the duo went about forming a men’s water polo club team.

“We began the process, after talking to [Assistant Director of Recreation] Emma Carlisle, by putting up flyers all around campus with a QR code to try to recruit,” Zedlitz said. “This helped a lot with sign ups, as we got 12 people from that.”

While the team is off to a great start, Quimby and Zedlitz explained that they need to recruit more players.

“Today we are having our second practice. [There is] not a lot of attendance so far, but we have been trying to gain interest so we can build up for the fall when the main season is,” Zedlitz said.

The captains on both the women’s and men’s club team have showed their dedication to water polo. This is the first year Maratea, Morel and Hayduchok have competed on a distinct Colgate team, combining with Hamilton College last year due to a lack of players, and Quimby and Zedlitz are on the path to establishing a men’s team.