Men’s water polo team projected to have their best season yet

Megan Dorr, Sports Section Editor|September 25, 2021

Photo Courtesy of: Matthew Dillon

Captain Matthew Dillion ‘23, goes up for a shot in the Eagles 10-4 defeat at Oakwood High School.

Since becoming an official sport at WHHS in 2019, the men’s water polo team is on track to have its best season yet. After going 1-15 last season, the team now has a 5-9 record, and are hopeful about the remainder of their season. 

After six SENIORS graduated, the team turned to Matthew Dillion ‘23 and Danny Westrich, ‘23,  to lead the team to success. There are currently no SENIORS on the team, so Dillion and Westrich have had to step into the role of captains and learn how to best lead the team. 

“Our goal is to keep improving in the way we have been, especially with our teamwork, and to not place last this year,” Dillion said.  

Besides motivating the team, Dillion and Westrich have excelled in the water. Dillion was nominated for the Cincinnati Enquirer Athlete of the Week, the week of Aug. 30, after putting up 10 goals against Sylvania and six more against Mason. 

“I was really excited, I was kinda surprised [that I was nominated], ” Dillion said.

Westrich also contributed in the win against Sylvania, scoring four goals himself. 

Keira Hassal ‘15, a WHHS alum, is an assistant coach and had high praise for the captains. 

“Matthew and Danny have been excellent leaders this year. Not only are they technically sound players, they lead by example during games and practice with their respect of peers, coaches and overall sportsmanship. I am so excited to see them grow as players through this season and next year when they are senior leaders,” Hassal said. 

Water polo is much more challenging than people may realize. Players must tread water without touching the bottom for all four quarters, while only holding the ball with one hand. Players have to swim back and forth across the pool in their pursuit of a goal. Swimming is an important baseline to have, and many of the team’s players are also on the swim team, something that helps their game. 

“Swimming has really helped me personally just so I am able to get to the ball faster,” Dillion said. 

To take advantage of some of the strong swimmers on the team, WHHS tries to get as many fast breaks as possible. A fast break occurs when the team recovering the ball sprints to the opponents goal to gain an advantage in numbers and position. 

Not only is the team improving their skills in the water, but the team chemistry has been improved as well. 

Last season was the first season for many players, so having some familiarity with the sport this time around has really helped. The team is a close knit group, which helps them communicate during the games. 

In general the team is having fun this season, especially during practices. And winning sure does make the games more fun as well.  

“I think the most fun part would be our first game against Mason where it was a really close game and we won by one point in the last minute. It was a great feeling afterwards as it was just a solid win that we celebrated after,” Westrich said.