Tulane’s co-ed water polo team is closing in on the beginning of the season, and there is an air of excitement in the locker room. 

Club president and junior Sydney Sheffield has a very positive outlook on the potential of the forthcoming season.

“I’m excited for this year,” Sheffield said. “I think we can be better than we’ve ever been before.” 

Asked what she can attribute this optimism too, Sheffiled notes an influx of incoming first-years with prior experience, as well as communication and teamwork.

Despite the high expectations for the 2019-20 season, the team will be dealing with some key losses this semester. Ben Rosenblatt, Dennis Clutter and Miranda Sinsheimer, three main contributors last season, are studying abroad and are not with the team for the fall. The team’s focus remains on this season, however.

“Maintaining rigorousness and competitiveness so we include both the experienced and inexperienced players [will be a challenge this season],” Sheffield said. “Learning how to balance this is key to success.”

The future beyond this semester looks bright for the Club Water Polo team as well. The team welcomes a number of freshman with limited experience, an uplifting development for the program going forward. Sheffield attributes the large number of new freshmen to the increasing number of underclassmen players. 

“Four years ago [the team was] mostly made up of graduate students … now we have more undergrad students,” she said. 

Still in the early phases of a year-long season, the team looks forward to its potential during the spring semester, specifically their Mardi Gras tournament. 

“Less experienced players will have more time to get comfortable, [the] more experienced will have time to create chemistry, and abroad students will be back” the president said with a grin. It’s a “big turning point” for Tulane Water Polo. 

The season begins Saturday, Nov. 16, as the club hosts other regional universities in the Reilly Center.