2016-2017

10-7 (7-4)
3rd Place in Great Lakes Conference
13th Place Nationally
Hosted CWPA National Championships

Alumni Tournament

Records for all other games at this tournament were unreported.
W ND, Monmouth
L ND, ND Alumni

National Championship

November 11-13, 2016

L ND 7, Lindenwood 17
W ND 8, Texas A&M 2
L ND 7, Boston College 16
W ND, US Military Academy

Conference Championship - Notre Dame

March 22-23, 2014

W ND 12, Miami (OH) 7 After a hard fought weekend for the Great Lakes Conference Championship, the Irish water polo team took third over all. The tournament began with a handy win over the University of Miami (Ohio). While the team started off rusty, the cobwebs were quickly taken care of as the team won 12-7.
L ND 8, Grand Valley 9 This win put the team into the semi-finals against tournament number one seed, Grand Valley State University. In what can only be known as a game for the ages, the Irish fell 8-9. Highlights from the game included a high percentage conversion rate on 6x5's and forcing Grand Valley's entire starting line, rather than just their top three players, to bring the team's goals. While the game was a disappointing conclusion, it was the best the Irish have yet to play this year, playing as a cohesive unit for almost the entire game.
W ND 14, Cincinnati 7 To finish out, the Irish played University of Cincinnati in the third place game Sunday morning. Getting the entire team in, the Irish won 14-7. In an effort that put the Irish up handily in the beginning of the game, young players to the team provided hope for future years, handling Cincinnati's starting 6 as though they'd been playing together for years. While the entire weekend did not end with the victory the team has been working for, the Irish prepare for the National Championships knowing that they played the best polo we've seen from them yet this year.

2016 Great Lakes Conference Champs

Photos by Hannah Estes

Conference Qualifier - Notre Dame

October 1-2, 2016

W ND 12, Cincinnati 5 This weekend, the Irish went 2-2 in the second conference qualifier at home. After going 3-1 at the first qualifier held at Miami Ohio on the weekend of September 24-25, the team has discovered their weakspots and plan on filling the gaps during the next few weeks before Conference Champs on November 5-6. To begin the weekend, the Irish came out firing against University of Cincinnati with a 6-0 run in the first quarter. With many goals from sophomore phenom Peter Seidner, the team ran to a 12-5 win. Other highlights include an extremely efficient team defense as well.
L ND 6, Grand Valley 9 The second game was against conference rivals Grand Valley State University at 6 pm. This prime time game of the year resulted in a loss for the Irish at 6-9, after failing to adapt to Grand Valley's offense early enough in the game. Though a loss, the game was a hard fought effort. Notable performances came from Junior defender Dan McGlinn and freshman utility Chris Kreienkamp.
L ND 7, Illinoi St 8 The third game Sunday morning featured a worn out Notre Dame losing to Illinois State 7-8. Though a quick three goals came at the end, it wasn't enough to fend off the mental mistakes from earlier in the game.
W ND 16, U Chicago 4 The Irish finished the weekend on a 16-4 win against University of Chicago. Every player got to touch the water, and the Irish even had an off-hand goal from promising freshman Tommy Martino. Thank you to all the parents that came out for the weekend, and we look forward to our next games at Conference Championships.

Conference Qualifier - Miami (OH)

September 24-25, 2016

W ND 10, Dayton 4
W ND 14, Xavier 6
W ND 12, Ohio St B 7
L ND 9, Ohio St A 10

Irish to Host National Championships

Posted By Justin Jellinek, September 26, 2016

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are proud to announce that we will be hosting the Club Water Polo National Championships from November 11 to November 13, 2016! While our women's water polo team hosted nationals back in 2011, the men have not yet had the opportunity to host. Because we are the host team, we are guaranteed a bid to nationals as well. If any alumni, family, or friends are near the South Bend area during this weekend, it will be an exciting opportunity to see the Irish play in their first national championship in over ten years! Just coming off of a tournament this weekend (results and recaps to follow later this week!), we are confident that we will play at a competitive level at the national tournament, so we would love to have everyone's support whether virtually or in person! A big thank you to Coach Brian Coughlin, Mandy Madden, Frank Vaccaro, and the Notre Dame Swim and Dive team for working so hard to get this tournament.

Welcome to the 2016-17 Team

Posted by Justin Jellinek, September 17, 2016

After a solid first four weeks of practice, the Irish are beginning to look like an actual water polo team. Led by captains Tom Collins, Justin Jellinek, and Dan McGlinn along with officers Emerson Kirk, Sean Kilmer, and Mark Hancher, the team's been hard at work trying to trim off the fat from this summer (only partially a metaphor). As we go into our first tournament of the season on September 24 and 25, look for great performances from offense regulars Emerson Kirk, Nathan Kriha, and Tom Collins while also watching for break out performances from newcomes Tommy Martino and Peter Seidner. On the defensive end, Dan McGlinn, Justin Jellinek, and Sean Kilmer will be shutting down 2M's regularly as newcomer, former Jr. Bill, Chris Kreienkamp looks to make his mark on the team as well. Without one major superstar on the team, the Fighting Irish look forward to contributions from all members of the team this year.

We are also excited to announce the help of our two coaches - Brian Coughlin and Davis Defontes. Brian has coached the women's team for many years and has graciously volunteered his time to help develop what we hope is one of the best teams in the nation. With years of success with our female counterparts, the men's polo team looks forward to Brian's help. Davis Defontes is a grad student who will be assisting with coaching as well. Davis played four years varsity polo at Fordham University and in his two weeks since joining has already begun impacting the team in a tangible way. We're excited to have both coaches on our staff this season! Thank you all for reading, and look for more updates in the coming weeks.