By Matt Stanton (VI)
This fall, Pingry co-ed water polo is in for an exciting season. Although key players graduated at the end of last year, talented underclassmen have stepped up to bring the team to a whole new level.
Regarding the new lineup, head coach Misha Klochkov said, “We are expecting to play on a higher level with returning players building on their skills and a strong cast of underclassmen supporting them.”
The team is led by captains Matt Stanton (VI), Victor Vollbrechthausen (VI), Billy Fallon (VI), and Jonathan Epifano (VI), backed by strong starters Connor Smith (VI), Kevin Ma (V), and Max Sanchez (VI). According to Vollbrechthausen, the team is looking to “maintain last year’s state title and win games at higher level tournaments this year.”
The team is coming off an impressive showing at the Beast of the East tournament in Pennsylvania. They played in flight three, a whole division above last year, and placed second. They lost to Calvert Hall, a strong team from Maryland, in the finals. Their other losses this year have all been close games against formidable out-of-state opponents.
The team has not played any non-tournament in-state games thus far, but with stronger performances than last year, the team looks to defend their state championship later this season.