Polomen Pursuing Ivy Championship

Listen to members of the Harvard water polo team as they head into this weekend's Ivy League Championships, and you realize why the Crimson is so resilient.

"We haven't played to the level that we're capable of in the last two weekends, but we just had a strong week of practice, and we're psyched up," said Co-Captain Chad Barker.

"I'm very confident about this team," said senior goalie Danny Oakes. "We were fired up by losing to Brown last Sunday, and we're ready to go."

The Crimson's performances this season have been up and down. The Ivy League Championships, to be held at Brown University in Providence, RI, represent an opportunity for the 11-5 water polo team to prove itself as a serious force in Eastern water polo. That means making strides against its highly-touted competition from Brown and from Princeton.

After what should be an easy first round win against Cornell Saturday, Harvard will meet Princeton in the second round. A match against the Tigers two weeks ago produced a disappointing loss.

"We were so pumped up about playing the first time that I think we kind of lost our rythym," Barker said. "I definitely think they're beatable, though."

If Harvard defeats Princeton, it would play for the championship against perennial power Brown. With the season series split at one win apiece, this weekend's anticipated confrontation should serve as a good measure of the Crimson's strength, particularly its staying power.

"We know how good they are, they know how good we are, and so it should be an interesting matchup," said sophomore Jose Busquets.

While the Ivy Championships have no bearing on the New England League or on the subsequent Eastern Championships (the qualifying tournament for the NCAAs), players said that this weekend could serve as a springboard for the rest of the season.

"We're in the stretch run now, and it's time to do the job," said Barker.

While the team has experienced one of its most successful seasons ever, the last two weeks have not been without lapses.

After starting well and notching its historic victory over Brown in late September, Harvard has sputtered recently against some mediocre competition.

Take this past weekend at the Northeastern League Tournament, for example. In a pattern reflective of the entire year, Harvard beat Boston College, lost narrowly to Massachusetts, won impressive victories over MIT and Yale and then fell to Brown in a surprisingly lopsided game.

"We're not that far from where we want to be. Just a few small mental lapses are hurting us," said Oakes.

If the Crimson can work out those kinks by this weekend, as Oakes and his teammates predict, the team should be in good shape.