Georgetown’s Club Water Polo team travels to the University of Virginia this weekend, seeking a strong start to the 2002 season.

The Hoyas kick off the season on Saturday with matches against division rivals UVA, North Carolina State and James Madison. The tournament concludes Sunday with the Hoyas taking on East Carolina.

The program had its most successful season ever in 2001, and the Hoyas are the defending champions of the Collegiate Water Polo Association’s Atlantic Division, having beaten Richmond 7-6 in the championship. In addition to claiming the Atlantic Division crown, Georgetown set a school record for wins and made its first appearance in the National Collegiate Club Championships at the University of Florida. The Hoyas won their first match and finished 13th overall at Gainesville. By season’s end, Georgetown was 14th in the national rankings and boasted the first league Most Valuable Player in school history, Lee Conant (SFS ’02).

The club water polo program at Georgetown has come a long way in eight years. Founded in 1995 by Sam Bakhshandehpour (MSB ’97) and Tim O’Brien (COL ’98), the Hoyas netted just one win in its inaugural season. Since then, however, they have never experienced a losing season and have grown into a top 20 team.

Club water polo is a highly-organized sport, both nationally and at Georgetown. Collegiate Water Polo is comprised of hundreds of club teams across the country, organized into several regional divisions. “The CWP does a great job,” senior Marshall Spooner, the team captain, says. “There are conference tournaments, a national tournament and weekly rankings voted on by coaches. It’s a great network.”

Spooner separates club water polo teams into two groups. There are “top-down” programs that used to compete on the varsity level and may still play with recruited athletes. Other programs are “bottom-up,” clubs that have started from scratch. As a bottom-up club, Georgetown has had to work hard to make itself an elite program.

The club alerts new students to its existence by sending information as part of the New Student Orientation mailing. Much of their publicity is done through pamphlets and word of mouth. Being a club team, water polo does not make cuts. This ensures that each year the team is made up of veterans who have played for many years as well as relative beginners to the sport.

This season’s team has a fresh feel to it. The Hoyas return about half of last season’s championship team and will be looking for contribution from several newcomers. The team also has a new coach, John Erickson, who served as an assistant last year. Despite these changes, Spooner still sees the Hoyas picking up right where they left off last year. “First things first, our goal is to repeat in our division, to go back-to-back,” he explains. The team has its sights set on returning to the National Collegiate Club Championships and making an impact.

“This is definitely a transition year for us,” Spooner said. “This is where we see if we can become a dynasty. I see no reason why we can’t win it all. This is the year we turn the page.”