BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Progress.
That’s what head coach Barry King wants to see from his young squad during a weekend at the Triton Invitational.
Indiana graduated six seniors in the offseason — combined, more than 550 collegiate starts. That leaves the players in the water this season with about one-fifth (100 total) starts compared to a year ago.
But if there’s any time for the Hoosiers to make progress, it’s now — on the road for the third time this season, and for the second time out west.
It’s where Indiana is most comfortable.
“It’s kind of the nature of what we do,” King said. “We travel, and we’re typically pretty good at it. There’s a certain rhythm to it.”
King said he tends to see more problems at home than on the road, simply because the team travels more than it competes at the Counsilman Billingsley Aquatics Center.
And no player is more comfortable at the Hoosiers’ next destination in La Jolla, California, than sophomore attacker Sarah Young, who was a four-year starter at La Jolla High School.
In attendance at the Triton Invite will be Young’s parents and her high school coach, Tom Atwell. Young said she is eager to show off her growth for the first time since she competed for the Vikings in 2014.
“It’s really exciting for them to come watch me and see how I’ve grown as a player since high school,” she said. “I feel a little more pressure, but it’s still a tournament, I still have to treat it like any other tournament, so that’s important to not get too in my head.”
No. 17 Indiana (3-3) don’t yet know who it will face in the tournament past No. 19 UC San Diego (3-2), which suits the Hoosiers all the better.
They don’t want to spend their time scouting other teams. They’re still getting to know themselves.
“Every weekend is about getting more familiar with each other under those game conditions,” King said. “Progressing and showing not only better fitness, but better understanding of our teammates and our strengths.”
The biggest challenge, King said, is starting athletes who might not be ready for the conditions of the collegiate game. Indiana has been forced into a trial-by-fire approach because of its youth, but he’s seen development already from a couple freshmen.
After playing apprehensive in the Hoosiers’ first meet at Arizona State, King said freshman defender Karrie Kozokaremerged last weekend to shoot the ball with confidence.
And freshman attacker Kate Pipkin, he said, serves a vital purpose as the glue that holds the team together.
Having rounded out 2015 at No. 11 in the nation and tied atop the conference, the reputation IU water polo has built over the last several years is a tough mantle for a young team to uphold.
But the freshmen are learning quickly.
“They’re really on it with everything we tell them, they take it and change what they’re doing wrong right away,” Young said. “We’re really proud of them, they’re growing fast.”
Swimming news courtesy of Indiana Water Polo.