By Patrick Murphy

After a slow start to the season, the Macalester women’s water polo team has turned things around down the stretch. The squad travelled to Wheaton, Illinois at the end of March for the CWPS Invitational, where it went 4-1, tying for first-place with Wheaton College, the tournament’s host. “We did a lot of things right in Wheaton,” said Catherine Flint ’12. “We utilized a lot of the skills we had been working on in practice, and all the conditioning we do definitely paid off.” The Scots currently hold a 7-11 record on the season—a marked improvement from the struggles of the past two seasons. A large part of the team’s recent success can be attributed to the strong play of Flint. At the Wheaton Invitational, the senior center netted 26 goals to lead the offensive attack. “Catherine is a very calm player; she is able to keep control of herself, her team and the game by calmly directing those around her,” said head coach Jennie Charlesworth. “She thinks through her actions to make sure they are the best for the situation and hammers the ball into the back of the goal when it is not expected.” With Flint leading the way, the team has also found success with the emergence of a number of younger players. “We are very fortunate this year because a number of our first-years on the team have a lot of experience playing high school and club water polo,” said Flint. “They have played a crucial role on our team this season, and I’m excited for the upcoming years because the team will only continue to get stronger.” The Scots travels to Grove City, Pennsylvania for the CWPA conference tournament next weekend. “Conference is where we show everyone all the little things that we have learned,” said Coach Charlesworth. “We will show our conference that we are a force to reckon with, and that we are not going to leave without some spectacular wins.” Before heading east, the current squad will square off with past Mac polo players in the alumni game at the Riley Pool this Saturday at 11:00 am. refresh –>