Swim, splash, score! Due to its outstanding performance last year, The Flintridge Sacred Heart water polo team qualified for a higher division for the upcoming 23-24 season.
The team ended last season in CIF playoffs, and as winter sports start their preseason training this fall, members are looking forward to another great year. Every year, CIF reorganizes divisions based on performance throughout the regular season and playoffs. Teams that performed well are moved into higher divisions and teams that performed poorly are moved into lower divisions. Over the past few years, the FSH team has shown steady improvement. In the 2021-2022 season, FSH water polo competed in Division Five and was moved up to Division Four. This year, the team is moving up again, entering Division Three.
Members are excited to play in a more competitive division as the new season starts.
“I’m excited and proud of our team for coming so far,” Kate Dolan ‘25 said, “I think it’s benefiting us and it’s what we need. If we play harder teams, we’ll get better.”
Players on the team have set their aspirations high for this season, aiming to qualify for playoffs.
“I’m really looking forward to CIF … hopefully we can do really well.” Marisol Cowles ‘25 said.
Returning players are excited to set an example for new players.
“I’m looking forward to giving it my all this year, being able to lead my team as a junior now and being able to set an example for all the sophomores and freshmen,” Dolan ‘25 said.
With these goals in mind, the team is driven to perform at their collective best. One of the most important aspects of any team sport is how players work together. FSH water polo players attribute their success not only to the individual skills of their players but also to their cohesive teamwork.
“I would say our team dynamic is what makes us really good because we’re all really close and work well as a team,” Cowles ‘25 said. “We all win together and we all lose together.”
Players on the water polo team also credit Coach Carlos Ponce for keeping them motivated throughout the season.
“Coach Carlos helps each individual player get better at their own skill work,” Dolan ‘25 said. “He helps us come together as a team and pushes us to be the best players and best athletes that we can be.”
Entering a higher division isn’t the only exciting achievement for the water polo team this year. Marisol Cowles, after excelling in her first two seasons on the team, was recently named an All-American.
“I was really surprised when I got it. I didn’t even know what it was, so when I heard about it and researched what it was, I was really surprised and proud of myself,” Cowles said.
This award is given to the most outstanding players in their sport, and FSH players are proud of their teammate.
“I feel really proud of Marisol,” Dolan ‘25 said. “I’ve been playing with her for five years, and I watched her grow to become the strong player that she is now. I’m so incredibly lucky and thankful that I’m able to play with her in high school. I think that for the team it means that Marisol can be a good example and someone to look up to, and it pushes us to be the best players.”
