Being John Vargas
John Vargas, Stanford men’s water polo coach the past 20 years, retired unexpectedly last week. After four decades—in a career that includes three NCAA titles and appearances as a player and coach for the U.S.— what’s next for one of America’s top polo strategists?
Brooklyn Hustle Gains More Than Pride at South Florida Water Polo Invitational
The Brooklyn Hustle water polo club traveled to Florida for the South Florida International Water Polo Tournament and found more than wins under the brilliant sunshine.
An Immigrants' (Water Polo) Tale: Jovana & Matej Sekulic Land at Princeton
Jovana and Matej Sekulic are exceptional in the classroom—as evidenced by their admission to Princeton University—and in the water. Brother and sister play for Tigers' water polo, with Jovana making a splash this season as a freshman.
CWPA Top 25 Women’s Varsity Water Polo: There’s USC, Stanford… and Everyone Else
Last weekend all of the nation’s top women’s water polo teams were in action. An upset shaped this week’s CWPA Women’s Varsity Poll rankings, but USC & Stanford remain 1, 2.
Why Stopping the Vavics from Playing is Bad for Water Polo
Marko and Stefan Vavic haven’t played water polo for USC since there father Jovan was fired. Isn’t it time there’s answers about why the sins of the father are being visited on his sons?
LIU Brooklyn Has a New Men’s Coach. What Does it Mean For NYC Polo?
LIU has a new men’s water polo program—and has hired Bret Lathrope to run it. How might his arrival change the outlook for the sport in New York City?
Great Opening for Michigan Water Polo; For Arizona State, Not So Much
The 1st matches of the 2022 NCAA women’s water polo season took place in Santa Barbara and Tempe—and surprises abound, with Michigan beating #7 UCI and Wagner topping #9 UC San Diego.
NCAA Women’s Water Polo Starts Today but COVID Concerns Persist
A new women’s water polo season is set to begin today but looming over the sport is the same threat from the last two years: COVID-19, which has already caused match cancellations.
Here We Go Again: 2022 NCAA Women’s Water Polo Preseason Poll
NCAA women’s water polo is back and the folks who publish the CWPA varsity polls published their 2022 preseason varsity poll—and the Man with a Hat chimes in.
Top Five Stories from 2021: No 1—Hard Truths Require Tough Leadership
Looking back on the biggest water polo stories from 2021, Man w/a Hat looks at challenges from the previous year that will carry into 2022.
Top Five Stories from 2021: No 2—Will Water Polo be Better in 2022?
Man w/a Hat is looking back on the five biggest water polo story lines of 2021. Today we focus on positive developments for the upcoming year.
Top Five Stories from 2021: No 3—Water Polo Award Winners
Today we focus on the various best of year water polo selections by the ACWPC, FINA, Swimming World, The Olympic Club and TotalWaterPolo (you know, the other one).
Top Five Stories from 2021: No 4—Tokyo Olympics
That the 2020 Tokyo Olympics came off without a COVID-19 outbreak is a miracle. But that doesn't mean the water polo competition was up to Olympic standards.
Top Five Stories from 2021: No 5—Water Polo is Back!
Man w/a Hat is looking at the 5 biggest water polo stories for 2021. Up first; after a year of COVID-19-related cancellations, a slew of major tournaments took place.
The Worst: Faux New Yorkers who are Dallas Cowboy Fans
I can accept that people have differences of opinion BUT when it comes to football, faux New Yorkers have NO RIGHT to gloat about being Dallas Cowboy fans—even when the NY Giants suck!
Is Continuity Best? Krikorian, Udovicic Re-up for Paris in 2024
USAWP brought back Adam Krikorian and Dejan Udovicic for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. It’s a no brainer—except the smart play might have been to look to 2028 with the Olympics in LA and a new pool in Irvine for the US men & women to make a splash.
View From the East: Princeton Emerges as Region’s Best
By virtue of beating #17 Fordham in the 1st round of the 2021 NCAA Men’s Water Polo Tournament, #11 (T) Princeton moves on to the quarterfinals and mighty UCLA. The Tigers are but one of many stories that defined East Coast men’s polo this season.
How Sweet It Is!
An unexpected—and delightful—11-10 St. Francis Brooklyn men’s water polo win in the Northeast Water Polo Conference semifinals on November 13 left your correspondent with a sense of contentment and peace.
Fordham’s Bacharach Talks Ram Water Polo, MAWPC Hopes @ Navy
Fordham, one of the East’s most storied men’s water polo programs, has never qualified for an NCAA tournament. The Rams hope to end five decades of futility this weekend at the MAWPC Championship at Navy.