SANTA CLARA, Calif. - While most students at Santa Clara University had the opportunity to go home during Spring Break, the Santa Clara women's water polo team had no such chance.  The Broncos remained hard at work at the Sullivan Aquatic Center, as well as participating in team activities to help build chemistry amongst the group. 

Spring break provided the Broncos with the perfect opportunity to spend some quality time together.

"We focused on bringing the team together while we have time away from school, and that allows us to focus on just water polo" said senior captain Wren White.  "All the activities were a blast, and I think we have become a closer knit team because of them."

Despite a drving rainstorm hitting the Bay Area, the team continued to practice despite the chilling temperatures.  On Sunday night, the team got together to celebrate a couple birthdays as well as watching inspirational movies. Monday included a meeting with team physiologist Adam Saucedo, which allowed them to create a team mantra for the rest of the season.

 

Later that day, head coach Keith Wilbur challenged the team with a swim contest. Everyone made the cut, which allowed the team to get out of practice a bit early as a reward. "It was really awesome because everyone pushed themselves hard and motivated each other. It was truly a team-bonding activity. It's fun to keep things light in practice during spring break" said White.

 

After a grueling practice on Tuesday, the women's water polo team travelled up north to cheer on the men's basketball team as they took on USF in the CollegeInsider.com postseason tournament. They stopped for a team-dinner at In-N-Out Burger, and created posters to sport at the game.  "The best part of spring break was cheering on our fellow student-athletes, and the energy from their win pumped us up for our game on Thursday against Sonoma State," said sophomore Natalie Kassel.

 
Numerous families opened up their homes to feed the team over the break. "It's always a great opportunity to bond at teammates houses and eat some delicious food," said Kassel. The whole Spring Break experience provided the team an opportunity to bond outside of the pool. While they may not have spent their time away from school in Cabo San Lucas or Lake Tahoe, the Broncos definitely have had a great break.