2015 Men's Water Polo Preview

DVC men’s water polo preview

The Diablo Valley College men's water polo team has won seven consecutive conference championships since Coach John Roemer took command, but the program is about more than its remarkable success in the pool.

Much more.

That was evident in 2014 when the Vikings were 8-0 in the Big 8, advanced to the state semifinals and were awarded the prestigious Scholar Team Award by the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA). The Vikings had a cumulative GPA of 3.5 in the fall of 2013.

This season, the Vikings have a great team spirit and a nice blend of local and international competitors. Roemer says the squad has been working extremely hard since the first day of practice. The team will travel to the Navy Open in Annapolis, Md. on Sept. 5-6 and the Princeton Invitational on Sept. 11-13.

“I think we’ll probably win conference again. We have pretty much the same talent level as we had last year,” said Roemer, who swam and played water polo at U.C. Berkeley and was a two-time All-American at DVC. “We’re stronger in a couple spots and weaker in a couple spots, so it all balances out. What’s truly noticeable about this group is the team chemistry.”

The roster boasts Thomas Baier of Orinda, Andrew Willis of Pleasant Hill, Edward Sandoval of Pinole, Vincent Chapy of Alamo, Drew Pitcher of Pleasant Hill, Paul Seibenaler of Fresno, and Konrad Karandy of Annapolis.
The foreign imports are Australians Zac Hudson, Reed Doueyer-Pate and Roy Campbell; Spaniards Daniel Martin, Kerman Castro-Gil and Lucas Cirado Martinez; Andras Telegdy of Hungary, Aldric Terrall of France; Nemanja Pljevancic of Serbia; Felipe Almeida of Brazil; and Bryce Read of Canada.

Roemer, who requires team members maintain a 3.0 GPA to be able to play, views DVC as an excellent vehicle for athletes wanting to advance to four-year programs. All but two of his athletes have transferred to another school, he says.

The team’s success in the pool speaks for itself. After inheriting a program that went winless in conference the previous year, the highly respected Roemer has guided the team to four NorCal titles and a state runner-up finish. They are always in the top four in the state.

Factor in Roemer’s high academic standards and community-oriented approach, and DVC's water polo package is tough to beat.
-- Matt Schwab