Delta’s men’s water polo team has been going through an interesting season this semester.
The water polo team is experiencing a lack of athletes in their roster.
“We had 22 [students] on the roster planned to come in prior to summer, but ended up with only 13 once school started, 3 of which are now red-shirts and cannot compete this season.” said Michael Maroney, Delta’s water polo head coach. Being a red-shirt is being out of all competitions to develop and gain eligibility.
The free sporting events helped the team get involved with the community and recruit people.
“I think the sponsorship that has allowed for free admission is a wonderful opportunity for Delta and is 100 percent helping with recruiting. The free admission, which allows more [members of the] community to attend athletics on campus has a far more reaching impact than just the large number of ‘butts in seats’ on game day.” said Maroney. “This alone has a tremendous impact on enriching our athlete experience on campus. It is that great student experience our recruits see in Delta athletes, and that is the positive impact that the sponsorship really fosters support for my recruiting efforts.”
Although they’re short on athletes this season, they have recruits coming in next season.
“Luckily, we already have several verbal commitments from prospects during the early stages of recruiting for next Fall,” said Maroney. “We have also had many campus visits and have a bright outlook for next year’s roster.”
Even with the lack of people in the roster, the team found other ways to get through the season.
They practiced many drills and tried their best to use “in-game” tactics during the practices.
“Our team has taken pride in working on individual skills, and ‘in-game’ changes thus far this season. With individual skills our staff and athletes are improving body position and strength in the water to help improve our game play,” said Maroney. “Since we are low on numbers it is challenging to work game scenarios in practice. Therefore, we have focused to really maximize our game experiences to improve our team strategies.”