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08/21/2023 12:40 PMThere is a local competitive water polo program that is nearing a decade of existence, and they recently rode waves of success with several of its squads standing amongst a national pool of talent and competition.
The New Haven Hydras is a volunteer-run sports club that practices out of Hamden Hall and Albertus Magnus College and has been in operation since 2014. This past year, the entire program had around 90 athletes, ranging in ages from 7 to 18, with most of the athletes hailing from New Haven, North Haven, Hamden, Branford, Madison, Wallingford, Northford, and East Haven.
Additionally, the Hydras sent teams to the Session 3 Junior Olympics in Dallas, Texas for the first time ever, being represented in the 12U co-ed, 14U boys, 16U boys, 18U girls and 18U boys’ divisions. For the invitational tournament, there were approximately 30 teams from across the country in each age group competing at this tournament.
“I have been running the club for the past decade, and it meant a lot to see our teams compete and be successful at this tournament,” said Head Coach Andy Lewandowski. “On the 18U side, there are kids that I have been working with since we started the club in 2014, and it meant so much to watch them have success at this high level. It was so much fun to have all of the teams competing in Dallas. Our older kids went and supported the younger kids and vice-versa. We had a lot of parent volunteers helping to organize the teams, and, thanks to their efforts, the trip went incredibly smoothly.”
The tournament was a four-day event, and each division had two groupings, with Platinum being the more competitive cluster and Gold. How one team performed during the first two days determined placement in either of those two classes.
The 18U boys finished runner-up in the Platinum Division, losing the gold medal game in a penalty shootout; plus, the 16U boys also finished second in the Platinum, losing the gold medal contest by a goal.
The Hydras’ 18U girls came in seventh in the Platinum Division, a feat which Lewandowski said he was “extremely proud of how that group played. We didn’t have a girls’ team until 15 months ago, and it is a testament to how hard that group worked that they performed so well.”
The 14U boys finished 4th in the Gold Division. They had a tough first day but won four of their final six games. Lastly, the 12U co-ed team finished tops in the Gold Division. They lost all four of their games on the first two days but then won all six of their games during the final two days.
“As the person who started the club 10 years ago, it was very rewarding to see our teams perform so well in our first trip to Junior Olympics,” said Lewandowski. “The 12U and 14U teams had a very tough first two days, losing some close games. The kids were really disappointed, but they kept their chins up, and those two teams ended up winning 10 of the 12 games during the remainder of the tournament, and one of those two losses went to a penalty shootout. With the younger kids, they improve and learn so much over the course of a four-day tournament, so it is very rewarding to work with them.”
In addition to training year-round, the Hydras run the aquatic component of the Horizons at Foote program each summer. This program targets students who are from local schools. Most of the students do not typically have access to pools during the year, and the Hydras provide water safety and swim lessons, in addition to introducing water polo to the kids.
Preparation for the summer games started way back during the dark and cold days of January with trip planning while its competitors were participating in their various high school sports teams. Yet as the snow melted towards spring, the Hydras sprung into action by getting acclimated for the big stage by taking part in several tournaments across the Northeast, with the 16U and 18U clubs coming together for a five-day training camp to hone in on tactical work to set the stage for a memorable summer trip to Texas.
Regardless of each individual’s hometown or background in the pool, everyone jelled together in seeking out companionship away from the water while being selfless individuals that chased championships rather than personal accolades.
“All of the teams played remarkably well, and the groups were very tight-knit,” Lewandowski said. “Out of the water, the players wanted to spend time together, and the kids have made friendships that will hopefully last for a very long time. Prior to the tournament, we gave a message to the kids that we were not going to track individual stats. My experience with teams playing at a high level, particularly with older kids who are trying to impress college scouts, is that there can be a tendency to showboat rather than to play well. All of our kids bought into this team-first approach, and the results were quite good.”
For the 16U boys’ squad, Lewandowski detailed that they lost out on the gold medal podium by the slimmest of differences while putting on proud performances.
“The 16U boys played remarkably well,” said Lewandowski. “It was disappointing to finish second, but we lost to a very good team in South Florida by the thinnest of margins, 14-13. We were neck and neck the entire game, but they just made a couple more plays than us in the end. Anthony Ferneini [of Hamden] should be First Team All-Tournament. And if we had won the tournament, he would have been the Tournament MVP. He had incredible performances throughout the tournament.”
He added that the 18U girls had a great international element while simultaneously rapidly grasping the sport to resoundingly big results in Texas.
“The 18U girls were a team that made a big impression on me. We had a group of girls who were relatively new to the sport, combined with four girls from Ontario and a girl from California, who was visiting our area for the summer,” said Lewandowski. “The girls faced some very physical teams and posted a record of 5-2 over the course of the tournament, earning the seventh-place finish. The girls who are local to our area were amazing with Samy Chemacki [of Madison], Laila Lamour [Milford], Lucy Schwarz [Madison], Spencer Carroll [North Branford], Maddie Childs [Wallingford], Meredith Doherty [Glastonbury], Julia Rosado [New Haven], and Isabel Gargamelli [Wallingford]. Many had just started playing the sport in the past 18 months. They worked very hard and played extremely well as a group.”
Lastly, the 18U boys, despite not coming away with the top honor, showed veteran poise and leadership and nearly grasped the gold after putting themselves in an early hole during the title tilt.
“Our 18U boys were an amazing team. The group was selfless and played the game so well,” said Lewandowski. “While we had played in front most of the tournament, our team faced a 5-1 deficit in the first quarter of the gold medal game. The team needed to make adjustments and were very calm about the situation. Although we were on the verge of getting knocked out of the game early, the team rebounded and gradually worked its way back into the game against a very good team from the St. Louis, Missouri, area. We had a one-goal lead with under 10 seconds left, and we had possession of the ball, but things went haywire, and regulation ended in a tie, and we lost the ensuing penalty shootout. Patrick Cucchiarelli [Northford] and Shunji Lewandowski [North Haven] were keystones for the team throughout the tournament. Connor Jermain [Hamden] and Garretson Curtis [New Haven] were strong in goal for the team. Of the 13 players on the roster, I expect all to play in college.”
The 12U team roster included George Schwarz (Madison), Samuel Nguyen (Ontario), Ela Karatekin (New Haven), Hannah Eiseman (Hamden), Roan Christmann (New Haven), Madeline Hayes (Ridgefield), Blake Zeitlin (Branford), Aaron Rakhshan (Ontario), and Leo Spiegel (New Haven).
The 18U girls’ team was comprised of Alesi Hughes (from Los Angeles), Meredith Doherty (Glastonbury), Laila Lamour (Milford), Katarina Loder (Ontario, Canada), Stella Babineau (Ontario, Canada) Julia Rosado (New Haven), Spencer Carroll (Northford), Jessie Turcott (Ontario, Canada), Abbigayle Jackson (Ontario, Canada), Lucy Schwarz (Madison), Samy Chemacki (Madison), Isabel Gargamelli (Wallingford), and 14 Maddie Childs (Wallingford).
The 14U roster included Kenneth Stouraites (Madison), Roko Skarica (New Haven), Jace Lieto (East Haven), Christian Henry (New Haven), Blake Zeitlin (Branford), Marcus Ruggiero (Hamden), Jacob Rihcrads (Milford), Alister Tsao (New Haven), John Countryman (Hamden), Matthew Johson (Trumbull), and Cody Bershstein (Branford).
The 16U roster was composed of Felix Elston (Branford), Heath Schwarz (Madison), Wesley Woods (Ontario, Canada), Henrik Hodgson (Ontario), Jack Ruggiero (Hamden), Joey Wesley (Ontario, Canada), Matt Flynn (Annapolis), Antonio Giraldez (New Haven), Anthony Ferneini (Hamden), Jack Cucchiarelli (Northford), Maxwell Bradshaw (Hamden), and Matthew Johnson (Trumbull).
The 18U boys’ roster included Connor Jermain (Hamden), Calan Falconer (Ontario), Matteo Santini (Prato, Italy), Ryder Mccann (Ontario, Canada), Shogo King (Ontario, Canada), Ethan Hipsky (Glastonbury), Evan Rhyness (Ontario), Shunji Lewandowski (North Haven), Stefan Groza (Ontario, Canada), Xander Woods (Ontario, Canada), Patrick Cucchiarelli (Northford), Anthony Ferneini (Hamden), Garretson Curtis (New Haven), Kerr Redner (West Lawn), and Jack Ruggiero (Hamden).
For any interest and inquiries regarding the Hew Have Hydras, you can visit them on the web at www.newhavenhydraswaterpolo.org, email them at hydraspolo@gmail.com, or call 203-401-9829.