#19 Men's Water Polo Gears Up for 2008 Season

Sept. 10, 2008

Providence, RI - With the return of eight of its top nine scorers, including ACWPC Division I All-American and CWPA First Team All-Northern Division selection senior Mike Gartner (San Jose, CA), the Brown men's water polo team is back and better then ever. The team will open its season against #17 California Baptist at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 12, and then compete in the Princeton Invitational on Sept. 13-14 taking on three pre-season ranked opponents in #16 Santa Clara, #20 Princeton, #3 Stanford and Johns Hopkins.

Head Coach Felix Mercado lost just two seniors from his team that finished second at the 2007 Northern Division Championship and earned sixth at the Eastern Championship. With nine players returning to the lineup, including four senior veterans, and a group of six talented newcomers, the Bears are ready to take on any and all challenges that come their way.

Gartner, along with Second Team All-North selection Grant LeBeau (San Diego, CA), Nico Fort (Miami, FL), and Hank Weintraub (Los Angeles, CA) have seen their share of ups and down while playing water polo at Brown, but they have been preparing to end their collegiate careers on a high note. Under the direction of two-time Northern Division Coach of the Year, Mercado, the team is hoping to earn an Eastern Championship. While the competition is fierce in the CWPA, Bruno is up for the challenge.

Mercardo is expecting great things from his veterans, which include Weintraub, a utility player who led the team with 77 assists and 118 points last year, and sophomore Kent Holland (Orinda, CA) who posted an 8.03 goals against average and a .491 save percentage as the Bears' primary goalkeeper.

"We had a great year with number of victories, but because we lost in the first-round at Easterns it was for not," said Mercado. "This year I wanted to make sure we were tested early and often to prepare us for what comes at the end, every team playing not to lose and go home."

The seniors on the team feel the same way, and are happy the way the team is shaping up and believe they have what it takes to challenge for a title. "This team plays fast, they play smart, and they play tough - and they make it look good," said two-meter specialist Mike Gartner.

Assistant Coach John McBride, who enters his sixth season with Brown added, "We look to finally have some depth on the bench and that should help us stay fresh at the end of games. No doubt we are more prepared then in years past to challenge."