The boys and girls water polo teams have both led exciting, successful seasons. Both teams have surpassed their goals and continue to have hope for next season, where they plan to progress even further.

The girl’s water polo team has created a successful season for themselves. The team had prepared for the state series since the beginning of the season. After playing numerous games to gain experience and improve their ranking, the team was seeded first overall in their region headed into states. A majority of this was because they defeated Lake Mary, winning the district. 

On Wednesday of last week, the team took on Lake Mary for a rematch, ending with a strong win and score of 7-4. Emily Cummings, a Health Academy senior, led the game strong with 4 goals. 

After winning the region, the team advanced to the final four teams in Miami. The final four is structured as a single elimination tournament in which the second and third ranked teams play each other and the first and fourth ranked teams play each other. 

The Seminole girls took on Lake Nona but came up short. The game was tied with two and a half minutes remaining in the game, however, in the last minutes of the game Lake Nona scored two more goals giving them a ticket to the state championship game and ending Seminole’s season. While the SHS girls water polo team’s season came to an end, many were surprised by the progress the team has made, especially since the majority of the team is underclassmen. 

Caroline Brown, a sophomore and first year captain of the team, said the key to the team’s success was the preparation and dynamic of the team. The team had all swam at Seminole Aquatics and were able to keep their speed-up in the off-season. The team also played in many club tournaments and practiced in Seminoles club water polo team, which brought them closer throughout the summer. 

Two major components of the team’s successful season were the dynamic duo, Halle Zimilich and Vivian Swain. Halle Zimlich was ranked second in the entire state of FL for the most goals, and Vivian had similar results in her number of assists. The duo was instrumental because of their unmatched speed, accompanied by Zimlich’s outside shot and Swain’s lucky left hand.

The boys team had a successful season as well, ending their season as the second team in their region. The boys lost to Lake Mary in the District final, which led them to the second seed in the region. The team later rematched them in the region semi-final, where they won and sent the Rams home. The boys made their way to the regional final, defying many statistical odds. The boys faced Winter Park in the regional final, with a trip to Miami on the line. The boys team came up short, only losing by two points. 

Bogdin Timofti, an IB senior and the only senior on the boys team this year, admits he was worried about the team as half the team is freshmen. However, he believes the lack of maturity of the team allowed them to progress as far as they did. Timofti says, “their inexperience helped them be confident in every game and play without fear.” Timofti saw this the most in the Winter Park game, where both teams’ records suggested an unfair match. The team played without the fear of losing and played with confidence, which helped bring the team so close in the game.

Overall, both teams were successful and hope for more success in the future. Both teams are very young, and Coach Ryan Ackerson is hopeful for success as they bond and continue to work hard. Though the teams did not take home the first place trophy, the practice and experience will definitely help them during next year’s season.