By: Jessica Shusko '15

SANTA CLARA, Calif.- As their tough season starts to come to a close, redshirt sophomore Casidhe McClone keeps his hopes high that the Broncos men's water polo team can get a few more wins. The two-meter defender has also set some personal goals for himself in hopes of helping his team reach their goals. This has been a tough season for the Broncos, but McClone (CM) and the rest of the team keep the championship title of WWPA's in their sight.

SCB: Over the summer, the whole team must stay up here for preseason, what is that like? How is it different than when regular season?

CM: We come to SCU around a month early for preseason. There is a lot of conditioning throughout the month, as we try and prepare for the upcoming season by being in the best shape possible. There is a lot less going on around campus during preseason, but its actually nice that way; we get a month to focus on water polo. Our season actually starts before school does, so that preseason is important!

SCB: So far, this season for the Broncos has not been the best, what goals have you set for yourself to try and finish this season on a high note?

CM: There have definitely been some tough losses. We are a very young team (we will only graduate two out of our 26 players this year), so a big part of what we want out of this season is experience. Aside from that, we really want to turn some heads in the second half of our season. Every game that we play from now on is a big game, and every opponent is going to be tough. We want to lock down our defense, get more movement on offense and start surprising people. Personally, as a 2-meter guard, I'm working on less-risky ways to approach set defense. My goal is to better handle the other team's big guy, so my teammates can focus on shutting down outside shots.

SCB: What is something you feel you have improved on through the season?

CM: The whole team has had an incredible learning curve this season. Every loss we've had, we've analyzed what we could have done better. I'm really proud to be on a team where everyone works so hard. We have experimented with many different defenses and offenses, but every time something new comes up the whole team works hard to get it done.

SCB: As a freshman you redshirted the season, do you think that was beneficial to you now? How so?

CM: Absolutely. College play is very different from high school, and I needed time to figure out how to play the game at the collegiate level. I really benefited from the classes above me who were patient enough to re-teach me parts of the game!

SCB: What are your hopes for the teams out come at WWPA's?

CM: We want to win! We've really upped the intensity in practice these last few weeks and our level of play has gone up as well. Wish us luck!

GO BRONCOS!