Top Five Stories from 2021: No 1—Hard Truths Require Tough Leadership
Looking back on the biggest water polo stories from 2021, Man w/a Hat looks at challenges from the previous year that will carry into 2022.
Top Five Stories from 2021: No 2—Will Water Polo be Better in 2022?
Man w/a Hat is looking back on the five biggest water polo story lines of 2021. Today we focus on positive developments for the upcoming year.
Top Five Stories from 2021: No 3—Water Polo Award Winners
Today we focus on the various best of year water polo selections by the ACWPC, FINA, Swimming World, The Olympic Club and TotalWaterPolo (you know, the other one).
Top Five Stories from 2021: No 4—Tokyo Olympics
That the 2020 Tokyo Olympics came off without a COVID-19 outbreak is a miracle. But that doesn't mean the water polo competition was up to Olympic standards.
Top Five Stories from 2021: No 5—Water Polo is Back!
Man w/a Hat is looking at the 5 biggest water polo stories for 2021. Up first; after a year of COVID-19-related cancellations, a slew of major tournaments took place.
The Worst: Faux New Yorkers who are Dallas Cowboy Fans
I can accept that people have differences of opinion BUT when it comes to football, faux New Yorkers have NO RIGHT to gloat about being Dallas Cowboy fans—even when the NY Giants suck!
Is Continuity Best? Krikorian, Udovicic Re-up for Paris in 2024
USAWP brought back Adam Krikorian and Dejan Udovicic for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. It’s a no brainer—except the smart play might have been to look to 2028 with the Olympics in LA and a new pool in Irvine for the US men & women to make a splash.
View From the East: Princeton Emerges as Region’s Best
By virtue of beating #17 Fordham in the 1st round of the 2021 NCAA Men’s Water Polo Tournament, #11 (T) Princeton moves on to the quarterfinals and mighty UCLA. The Tigers are but one of many stories that defined East Coast men’s polo this season.
How Sweet It Is!
An unexpected—and delightful—11-10 St. Francis Brooklyn men’s water polo win in the Northeast Water Polo Conference semifinals on November 13 left your correspondent with a sense of contentment and peace.
Fordham’s Bacharach Talks Ram Water Polo, MAWPC Hopes @ Navy
Fordham, one of the East’s most storied men’s water polo programs, has never qualified for an NCAA tournament. The Rams hope to end five decades of futility this weekend at the MAWPC Championship at Navy.
Special Delivery from Italy: Jacopo Parrella Leads Fordham Men’s Water Polo into the Postseason
Arriving in the Bronx from Naples in early September, fantastic freshman Jacopo Parrella has made his presence felt for a Fordham men’s water polo program seeking it’s first-ever NCAA men’s water polo tournament berth.
On to the Postseason! 2021 Men’s Varsity Water Polo Set for Conference Championships
Regular season play for the 2021 NCAA men’s varsity season ended last weekend. Up next: which teams will capture the seven NCAA spots—five conference automatic berths and two at-large bids—for this year’s national championship.
Not Only Fair Weather Fans Are Rewarded
In beating Princeton, the East’s top team, St. Francis Brooklyn registered one its biggest wins in years—after getting blown out by Harvard in Cambridge a week ago.
My Mostly Excellent Water Polo Adventure in Cambridge, MA
Despite a St. Francis blowout loss to Harvard, the Man with a Hat’s travels to Cambridge were good—especially a 12-9 match where Princeton beat host Harvard, cementing the Tigers’ status as the team to beat in the East.
No Surprise: LIU Announces Addition of Men’s Water Polo in 2022-23
After being rumored for months, Long Island University has announced the addition of men’s water polo in 2022-23 as the school’s 37th intercollegiate sport.
Contenders or Pretenders: Teams from the Northeast Harbor NCAA Hopes
Brown, Harvard, Princeton and St. Francis—the NWPC’s top teams—descend on Cambridge and Providence to determine who seizes control of the East’s most competitive men’s polo conference.
The Terriers of St. Francis Brooklyn Are Back!
A big win Saturday over Harvard put the St. Francis Brooklyn men’s water polo team on top of the Northeast Water Polo Conference—the Terrier’s first victory over the Crimson in four years.
Bucknell vs. St. Francis, Brooklyn: Have You Ever Seen a Scoresheet Like This?
In one of the strangest water polo matches you’ll ever see, St. Francis Brooklyn had six players foul out due exclusions—then lost to host Bucknell 12-11 on a last second goal by Jack Lewis… on a power play.
CWPA Top 20 Week Three: The MPSF Invitational is at Cal; Who Can Stop Stanford?
The MPSF Invitational may be the best college tournament in America. For an entire weekend the best of the best face off in a winner-take-all format; this year it’s hosted by Cal-Berkeley and head men’s coach Kirk Everist.
Terrier Report: After Tough Weekend in Princeton, St. Francis Travels to Bucknell
After a weekend in Princeton that saw them split four matches, the St. Francis Brooklyn men’s water polo team travels to Bucknell for four matches at the Bison Invitational.