Freshman-heavy men’s water polo not without veteran leadership
UCLA men’s water polo freshman attacker Tommy Gruwell is third on the Bruins this season with 15 goals through 11 games. Gruwell is one of 13 freshmen or redshirt freshmen on the Bruins’ 2019 squad, compared to seven last season. (Amy Dixon/Daily Bruin senior staff)
By Jason Maikis
Oct. 8, 2019 1:23 a.m.
The Bruins have gotten a lot of their production from freshmen, but that doesn’t mean they’ve been without veteran leaders.
Buoyed by five goals from two true freshmen and one redshirt, No. 2 UCLA men’s water polo (10-1) defeated No. 8 Long Beach State (10-7) 11-7 on Friday. Through 11 games this year, five of the top-10 scorers on the team are first-year players, in comparison to the three who had broken onto that list by the end of last season.
Coach Adam Wright said this year’s team has many inexperienced players who have made regular appearances in the starting lineup.
“We’re a new team,” Wright said. “None of our guys except three had ever been in a (college tournament) final, and nine of our first 12 hadn’t played (at a Division I college) until this year.”
Freshman attacker Tommy Gruwell is one newcomer who has racked up minutes in both Wright’s starting and crunchtime lineups. Gruwell led UCLA with three goals in its win over Long Beach State, including the Bruins’ first goal of the fourth quarter that stretched their lead to 9-6.
Redshirt senior goalkeeper Alex Wolf said he has been impressed with the mental strength of Gruwell, including the freshman’s ability to step up in late game situations.
“(Gruwell) is very confident,” Wolf said. “He missed an open shot early in the game but didn’t lose confidence for the game and really helped us in the fourth, stepping up with a goal, too.”
Gruwell sits third on the team in goals so far this season with 15, but said he doesn’t prioritize offense over defense – something he learned from sophomore attacker Ashworth Molthen.
Molthen was also one of the top offensive contributors for the Bruins last season, finishing tied for third-most goals on the team as a freshman. Gruwell said he admires Molthen’s dedication to playing both sides of the ball, not just to scoring.
“(Molthen) is a great player leading us by example,” Gruwell said. “He’s our team-leading scorer for a reason, but what’s better than his shooting is his ability to pass and play defense, which might go unrecognized. He fed me on one to two goals tonight, and he’s great at making our game easier.”
Although UCLA has started the season with 10 wins in 11 matches, Gruwell said the team isn’t where it wants to be yet with how it stacks up against squads with more veterans.
“We definitely are still getting better, but we’re not there yet,” Gruwell said. “We still have to work more on being tough and executing against experienced college teams, … and our overall chemistry with each other still has to improve.”
The Bruins lost six players last year – four to graduation and two as transfers. UCLA has been impacted by injuries as well this season, losing junior utility Evan Rosenfeld for the year and junior attacker Chasen Travisano for the first five games.
With the injuries and turnover of the roster, many players have had to shift from their normal position or take on increased playing time, said Wright.
“Unfortunately, we’ve had to make so many different changes to the roster,” Wright said. “(Against Long Beach State) we had (redshirt freshman attacker Brock Petersen) playing for the first time, so we’re still trying to find our best combinations. A lot of these guys were put into roles that they may not have envisioned at the beginning of the year.”
UCLA will return to the pool at home against UC Santa Barbara on Friday.
