Men’s water polo to honor seniors against UC Irvine
Homecoming spirit is in the air, but that isn’t going to stop the No. 4-ranked men’s water polo team from honoring their two seniors. The team will honor Gerrit Hill and Mac Carden in a brief ceremony before the Trojans take on No. 7 UC Irvine on Sunday.
Senior Day is always an emotional game, and this year is no different. Though the team is not losing a large quantity of players, they will be losing players with significant NCAA championship experience.
“One thing that is really special is that Mac decided to come back for his fifth year,” said redshirt senior Gerrit Hill. “He has a few rings under his belt, and I was lucky enough to be a part of the 2013 national championship team. So we’re both happy to be back for our fifth year and hopefully win another one.”
This class was able to experience the back end of the Trojans championship dynasty that has led to winning six of the last seven national championships.
“It’s an honor, I couldn’t ask for anything better,” said Hill of the special relationship he and Carden have developed as the lone seniors on the team. “Mac is a really good friend, I am happy to have such a great friendship with him.”
The Men of Troy won’t just be bidding their seniors adieu; they will also attempt to say goodbye to their two game losing streak.
The Trojans will be coming home to Uytengsu following a stretch of three straight road games. Of these games, the Trojans will be coming off two consecutive losses to MPSF teams. Last weekend the Men of Troy lost a shootout to then No. 4 Cal 10-12, but the team is ready to bounce back.
“The guys are super hyped for this Sunday. Everyone is coming back with a lot of fire,” Hill said. “We’ve been training really hard this week. Jovan is on our case, and it’s just fueling our fire.”
The Anteaters are 11-9 overall with a 1-5 MPSF record. They too are coming off of a losing stretch having lost to both UC Santa Barbara and Stanford last week.
Before the team will get a crack at the Anteaters, the water polo team will celebrate their homecoming with a splash. The team will host their annual alumni game at Uytengsu Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m.
According to Hill, what may seem to be a relaxing and fun game is actually quite the serious business affair. Nearly all of the alumni are returning with multiple NCAA championships and take great pleasure in the opportunity for one more shot at glory.
“They’re coming back with multiple rings on their fingers, you know, trying to show off what they’ve got,” Hill said.
The Trojans are ready to meet the challenge however, and will not let their former teammates pull of the upset.
“We still take it as a regular game, you can’t take anything lightly, especially when we are going into a game Sunday,” Hill said. “It is a fun atmosphere playing with guys that you played with before, but we always go out in the water to win, everyone is competitive.”