The 2021 fall campaign will be an historic one for the Austin College men's water polo team, as head coach Mark Lawrence will be graduating the first recruiting class in program history. In all, Lawrence will be saying goodbye to 11 seniors following the upcoming academic year, and those seniors will be looking to go out with the program's best season yet this fall.
A number of impact players return following a truncated year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, including former All-MPSF attacker Andrew Pope, who enters his senior season as one of the most prolific goal-scorers in the young program's history. He'll be joined by junior attacker Max Wade, who scored 57 goals during his freshman campaign to set the program benchmark and earn All-MPSF recognition. Both Pope and Wade have earned honorable mention All-America status during their time in Sherman.
Lawrence will also be turning to senior Robert Griffin as well as junior Cade Griffith to be among the top performers for the 'Roos after excelling in the shortened season this past spring, and former honorable mention All-America selection Will Koelzer is back for his senior campaign as well.
In goal, the 'Roos will turn to a trio of returning players with Zachary Griffith, Alan Rosenberg, and Taiton Fox minding the net. Fox was called into service in the spring after playing an attacking role early in his career, and heads into his senior season adding athleticism and newfound experience to the position. Griffith and Rosenberg both performed well for Austin College last year, as the 'Roos went 2-3 overall with all three of their losses coming against NCAA Division I opponents.
This season the 'Roos will bring a wealth of experience to the pool, with just two newcomers joining the mix. However, Lawrence expects both players to make an instant impact in the program. Colby Kint, a 6-foot-3 attacker, comes to Sherman from Cumberland Valley, Pa., while Andrew Galt, a 6-foot-3 center, enters the program after wrapping up his high school career at Southlake Carroll.
Austin College opens the season on the weekend of September 4-5, when they travel to New England to take part in the Bruno Invitational hosted by Brown University and Harvard University.