This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Conn Coll chapter.
With three impressive wins at the Women’s Water Polo Division III Championship at Connecticut College last weekend, the Camels are about to achieve something that has never been done. The team will be the only Division III team traveling to the University of Michigan to compete in the Eastern Championship Tournament. The Collegiate Water Polo Association explains, The tournament marks a new era in the CWPA as the league’s 11 active Division I/II members (Brown University, Bucknell University, Gannon University, George Washington University, Hartwick College, Harvard University, Indiana University, Mercyhurst University, Notre Dame College, Princeton University, and Michigan) and the newly crowned Division III Eastern Champion (Connecticut College) will battle over the three-day period for the league championship and an automatic berth to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship.” With the dedication and commitment that have been shown by all, it is no wonder that the team has made it this far.
Though studying and being team players make for hectic schedules, sophomores Nicky Jasbon and captain Kate Jacobsen both value their roles as student athletes. Jasbon was originally drawn to Connecticut College because she would be able to reach her full potential as a student and as a water polo player. With the advances that the team has been making, Jacobsen reports that water polo requires the team’s attention “three mornings a week, Saturdays, and tournaments away every weekend.” Time management is not only significant for completing school work and arriving to practice on time, but it shows the willingness of the players to work as a team.
Jasbon was named MVP of the Year, and she dedicates the honor to her own hard work and training during the off-season, but also to her fellow Camels. “Being named MVP was a team effort. I feel as though my whole team deserves to be credited because they help me better myself everyday, in and outside of the water,” said Jasbon.
Upon asking Coach JJ Addison about the team’s 11-game winning streak, he was not aware of the statistics. “The only thing that matters to me is how well the team plays, not whether we win or lose.” This only emphasizes the fact that effort seems to be the strong factor of success for this team.
Congratulations on Coach of the Year! How was it to have an 11 game winning streak?
Coach Addison: I was honored to be coach of the year this season. The kids did all the hard work and when they do it well they make the coaching staff look good. Until you said it, I had no idea we even had an ’11-game win streak’. I try to think only about the very next game and, when looking back, with the exception of our championship tournament, the only thing that matters to me is how well the team plays, not whether we win or lose.
What was the most memorable game of the season?
Coach Addison: Our most memorable game of the year so far has to be our most recent one. Aside from the fact that it was at home, that it was our first ever water polo championship and the first ever athletic championship for the school, it was just an awesome game. Our defense finally locked down the way I knew they could and the team was so well prepared they didn’t need either coach on the bench to close out the final period. I knew we were going to win just before the half when Nicky Jasbon stole the ball at mid-pool and then floated a perfect 12 meter shot over the goalie to take a lead we would never relinquish as the buzzer sounded.
Photo by Mallory Kosow’15