Not many people in Ohio know much about the sport of water polo. While the sport gets most of its recognition in California and Europe, if you check the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion at 6:45 p.m. during the week, you will witness the Ohio State University’s club Women’s Water Polo team practicing diligently.
Originally established in 1997, the team functions as part of the Collegiate Water Polo Association and is comprised of two official teams: the “scarlet” and the “gray” team. Under the leadership of former secretary and now two-time senior president, Megan Wolf, the team has both grown and improved in the past two years.
Senior Megan Wolf looks to make a pass to a teammate while on offense. Wolf has been playing water polo for eight years. After graduating, she hopes to join a local master’s team so that she can stay involved in the sport. Photo courtesy of Megan Wolf.
“I joined the team as a freshman, and the team was actually a big part of my decision to come to Ohio State. I started playing water polo in high school… I knew that I wanted to stay involved in college, and so I wanted to pick a school with a solid women’s team,” Wolf said.
Wolf focused heavily on recruitment as secretary, making it one of her primary goals when she was first appointed to the officer position. Through marketing and sheer will, she has helped the team grow from just 14 girls to over 25.
“When I first joined the team we only had 14 girls… that next year we graduated six of our girls, and we weren’t even sure we would be able to have a team for the next year. We showed up at the involvement fair and had the sole goal to recruit as many new players as possible,” said Wolf.
After a transitional year, and with enough players to have practice on a daily basis, the team was able to start focusing on developing both skills and team chemistry.
“That year was a building year and when we really started becoming friends both inside and out of the water. The goal was to have fun and play the sport of water polo… then last year, I really saw the potential that our team had,” said Wolf.
As a rising junior, Wolf ran for president on the campaign of aiming to win the Big 10 Conference Championship for the first time in team history. The conference winners then get to compete at the National Championship tournament, held at a unique venue every year.
This goal was achieved, and the team went on to earn fourth place at the National Championship, which was hosted by University of Pittsburgh last spring.
“We worked hard, had fun and got the job done… Flash forward to this year, and we have more girls than ever. This led us to officially create a second team to compete in the division… I am so excited to see what the rest of this season holds,” said Wolf.
While on defense, senior and president, Megan Wolf, steals the ball from an opponent. Wolf primarily plays in the hole position on offense. This position sets Wolf up to be one of the most prominent shooters on the team. Photo courtesy of Megan Wolf.
Wolf hopes to continue the success of last season, but also recognizes that success is not necessarily doled out in accolades.
“Overall though, I think the main goal of this team is to grow and nurture strong women… We are all learning from each other and the sport, as long as that is achieved, I think I would say we are meeting our goals,” said Wolf.
Wolf will be graduating this spring as a psychology major with a specialization in human resources and a minor in public health. She hopes to find a human resources job near Columbus.
“After I leave, I have no doubt the team will continue to grow and do great things… I know that we have some amazing girls on the team with so much passion for the sport and their teammates… the team culture is great and I know it will continue on past my graduation,” said Wolf.
For more information on OSU’s club Women’s Water Polo team, click here.