2024 Austin College Men's Water Polo Season Preview

The Austin College men's water polo team heads into the 2024 campaign with high hopes after finishing last season with an overall record of 7-13, but a mark of 4-2 against MPSF Division III opponents. The 'Roos finished as the MPSF East runners-up last year, but hope to make some noise under head coach Mark Lawrence as they enter the new season.

Lawrence's squad will be led by ACWPC All-Americans Aidan Wade and Jack Stack, two of the team's most prolific and effective players from a season ago. Stack, a sophomore from Concord, Calif., was one of the team's top goal scorers last season and earned first team All-MPSF East accolades, while Wade, another sophomore attacker and a native of Flower Mound, Texas, was also selected as a first team All-MPSF East performer and also ranked among the team's top goal-getters.

Lawrence expects both Stack and Wade to step up into bigger leadership roles in the upcoming season. Gone is Nik Koelzer, who leaves a void in the areas of leadership, intelligence in the water, and experience. Lawrence believes that both Stack and Wade can step up and help assume those roles during the upcoming campaign. 

Austin College will have to replace Alan Rosenberg, a three-year starter in goal who also got plenty of action during his freshman season, but the 'Roos have a trio of talented players ready to battle it out to win the job manning the cage. Junior Christian Saravia, sophomore Liam Roberts, and first-year keeper Caleb Maddox are expected to share time in the net, with all three heading into fall camp to replace Rosenberg, who finished his career as one of the top goalies in Division III during the 2023 campaign. 

Among other returners Lawrence is expecting to make a jump in the upcoming season are Anthony Sury, Sebastian Scheier, and Andrew Galt. Sury was one of the team's top scorers last season and will be expected to repeat that success this year, while Galt will help fill the hole left by the graduation of prolific center Dylan McArthur, who was lost to graduation this past year. Lawrence believes Galt has what it takes to be one of the strongest defensive players in the MPSF East Division, and should serve as the team's anchor on that end of the pool.

The 'Roos brought in a relatively small class of freshmen, but all five are expected to make an immediate impact and emerge as big contributors by midseason. One of the newcomers, outside of first-year keeper Maddox, to keep an eye on is Adrian Halberg, who will be coming to Sherman from New York City, as a right-handed attacker who Lawrence believes could immediately become one of the program's top goal-scorers this season.

Austin College opens the 2024 campaign in New England, traveling to Rhode Island and Massachusetts for the Bruno Invite. First up is a pair of games against MIT and Long Island University on September 7, followed by matchups against Connecticut College and Wheaton on September 8.