The men’s water polo team has a start of 10-9 with their recent win against Mount Saint Mary’s on Thurs., Oct. 2. Freshman Canyon Johnson, who plays utility and is an Engineering major, and freshman Derek Maddox, who plays goalkeeper and is a Business administration major with emphasis on finance, are members of the Concordia men’s water polo team. Both Johnson and Maddox reflected on their start of the season and their experience being on the team. 

Johnson has loved his time on the team so far, and for this season, his preparation was “making sure to get to know everyone on the team.” Maddox's main preparation for this season was getting good sleep, going to the trainers, and eating good food. 

Johnson said he would not change anything in his routine for the upcoming games. The team is on a good track so far, so putting more and more effort into becoming a big family is important to him. For any changes in his routine, Maddox said, “Always being more hydrated, there have been a few games where I wasn't fully hydrated.”

Johnson is very proud of the team’s results so far, having played well against ranked opponents. “My favorite moment on the team so far was beating Air Force by one point,” said Johnson. The team played against the D I Air Force Academy on Sept. 13, winning 15-14. This was Concordia’s first win against the Air Force since 2019. Johnson loved this moment, and it helped improve the team's results. Maddox's favorite moment on the team, just like Johnson's, was when they beat the Air Force by one point. This game was followed by another exciting win on the same day against Chapman (13-7).

Johnson has been playing water polo since his freshman year of high school and has made great efforts to improve at the sport and make it to college. Johnson chose Concordia after emailing various coaches at different schools. Ultimately, he felt a connection with Coach Johnson at Concordia, which is why he ended up joining the Green & Gold. Johnson said that once his water polo career ends, he would be interested in coaching water polo. He loves helping people learn the sport.

Maddox has been playing water polo since seventh grade, and he has loved the sport ever since he started. Maddox chose Concordia because he wanted to play water polo, as well as its close proximity to his home, allowing him to still see a lot of his family during games. 

The men’s water polo team enters the Gary Troyer Tournament today, Fri. Oct. 3, with their first game at 12:15 p.m. against Redlands. At 5:15 p.m., they will play their second game of the day against Wagner. For those free on Sat., cheer on the water polo team as they play another match against Mount Saint Mary’s at 9 a.m. and against Ottawa at 2 p.m. For more details and information about upcoming games, check out their schedule at https://cuigoldeneagles.com/sports/mens-water-polo/schedule

Tags: water polo, Men's Athletics, sports

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