By Maria Trivelpiece

For the first time in Fordham Men’s Water Polo history, the team hosted the MAWPC Championships. Although Fordham did not have the finish it desired, these battling Rams completed their season on a successful note.

They began the tournament by defeating Navy 15-8. Senior Magnus Sims had four goals, three assists and two steals. Junior Joseph Agabs had two goals and three steals and junior Jake Miller-Tolt added two goals and six assists. The victory propelled the team into the semi-final game against the number one seed Bucknell Bison.

At Rose Hill, the Rams fought a tough battle against Bucknell, but came up short as they lost by a score of 12-11. Miller-Tolt was phenomenal in the match scoring six times while simultaneously posting four assists. The Fordham defense was also stellar as they held the Bison at multiple points of the game to limited scores. However, it was not enough.

But the Rams still had life. Being that the tournament was double-elimination, they had an opportunity to redeem themselves against Wagner the following day. The exhaustion of the hard-fought battle with Bucknell wore out the Rams and they lost to the Seahawks. With the loss, Fordham were officially eliminated from the tournament and their season was ended.

The 2018 season was still notable for the Fordham University men’s water polo team. The squad finished the year with a record of 16-16 overall and 6-6 in conference play. Three Rams earned honors on the MAWPC All-Conference team including Miller-Tolt on the first team, while senior Ian Watson and freshman Bailey O’Mara snagged spots on the second team. Miller-Tolt also became only the second Ram to score one hundred goals in a season.
The Rams will graduate a large senior class that includes Patrick Coffey, Samuel Varshinsky, Diego Delgado, Magnus Sims, Cole Donnelly, Will Smoot and Ian Watson. Although their ability and skills will be deeply missed next year, the Rams will look to continue their success in the 2019 season. The team will count on the return of key players such as Miller-Tolt and Bailey, as well as a great freshman class. It will be interesting to watch what this team will do in the future, just as it was exhilarating to follow the comebacks and successes of the 2018 squad.