2006 Men's Water Polo
Season Outlook

Chapman University men’s water polo head coach Dennis Ploessel has been selling his program to recruits on the basis that a new pool is coming soon, “for over five years,” according to his son and assistant coach Eric Ploessel. The results have been mixed in that time. The Panthers have maintained a solid program, consistently ranked in the top-10 in NCAA Division III, but have never reached the promised land of the postseason.

So it may not be a coincidence that following the groundbreaking of the new facility, the Erin Lastinger Athletics Complex, last fall, this year Chapman has harvested what the younger Ploessel calls, “an amazing freshman class” and “maybe the best we’ve had here.”

“They come on campus, the see the progress with the construction. They saw the hole in the ground and they know we’re next,” said Ploessel about his new freshmen and their recruiting experience.

What comes with the great freshman class though is the uncertainty and inconsistencies of a young team. The Panthers’ roster consists of eight freshmen, three more sophomores and just one player who earned double-digits in goals in 2005.

“They are a young team that is probably going to make young mistakes,” said Ploessel. “We have yet to see how they are going to perform in a game situation and under pressure.”

Chapman graduated its top four goal scorers from last season, a total of 145 goals the Panthers will have to compensate for this season. Ploessel thinks senior Will Tipton (10 goals, 14 assists) and a pair of freshmen, Alex Mule and Austin McElvaney, will provide plenty of offensive options with their speed and athleticism.

“It’s tough to replace all the goal scorers we lost,” said Ploessel. “But these guys are going to be great offensive threats. We aren’t going to overpower anyone with size, but we are a good swimming team.”

In goal, the Panthers will have their third new goalie in three seasons, but Ploessel likes what he sees from big Colin Gasper. The 6-5, 230-pound freshman could be the answer the Panthers have been looking for since the senior year of Chapman’s all-time blocks leader B.J. Ploessel in 2003.

“He’s got great reach, long arms and some of the blocks he comes up with are amazing,” said Ploessel.

The Panthers cracked the NCAA Division III top-10 in the preseason polls earlier this month, a position they had not been in since early in the 2005 season. Chapman, ranked No. 10, hopes that it can once again establish itself as a Collegiate III threat.

And now that the Folino Aquatics Center is no longer a promise, but a physical entity in the making, the future can only get brighter.