Monmouth Men's Water Polo has Balance for 2019

by Dan Nolan

Monmouth, IL (09/04/2019) — Monmouth College men's water polo coach Peter Ollis may have found his team's inner balance, as the squad enters the 2019 season with three of the top four scorers back from a season ago and an even mix of new and old.

"We've got a nearly ideal balance of veterans and freshmen," reported Ollis of his 10-man team, which includes five newcomers. "It's exciting to have the freshmen and the returners on a one-to-one ratio. The returners know and understand our team concepts and goals. They can share that information on a one-to-one basis with the freshmen and get them up to speed and make sure we're all on the same page."

The Fighting Scots' story this season opens in the back, where Kyle Jones (Parkland, Fla./Stoneman Douglas) enters his sophomore season in goal. The 'keeper turned in a school-record 22-save effort as a freshman last year en route to recording the second most saves in a season (161). With just one season under his belt, he already ranks No. 2 on the Scots' all-time saves list.

"Kyle was impressive in his freshman year," praised Ollis. "We're excited to have that consistency on the back end and build up from there. He gives our defense a level of trust that allows them to be more aggressive and take chances defending."

Top returning scorers for the Scots include seniors Jesus Aguirre (Cicero, Ill./Morton East) and Tommy Schneider (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) and sophomore Quentin Bartram (Dublin, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne). Aguirre broke loose to net a team- and career-high 30 goals last season, raising his career mark to 41 to rank in the all-time top 10. Bartram was No. 2 with 23 goals and Schneider scored 18 times, fourth-best on the team. Center defender Jared Hankinson (St. Louis, Mo./Kirkwood) adds more experience as he returns for his senior season, providing the last line of defense in front of Jones.

"Jesus is a big guy and used that to his advantage last year when we changed his position," explained Ollis of Aguirre's surge in offense. "He did a great job adjusting to the change. Quentin is a big, lanky guy with good speed. He's another solid piece in the arsenal. Tommy was really good in the counterattack and a great defender. Jared is a well-rounded player with good speed and can set up our counterattack, too."

The Scots will fill out the pool with five freshmen, including offensive threats Joseph Addison (Eads, Tenn./Faith Heritage Christian Academy), Eli Kebschull (Homewood, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor) and Kaveah Moadddeli (Newport Beach, Calif./Corona Del Mar). Luke Mulcrone (Chicago, Ill./Brother Rice) and Dakota Salmi (Chicago, Ill./John F. Kennedy) round out Ollis' newcomers.

"Joseph could be an exciting player," predicted Ollis. "He's impressed us in the first couple of weeks and has really high game IQ. Kaveah is very similar to Joseph. They're both incredibly athletic with a solid skill set and figure into our offensive plans. Eli will factor into the defensive end."

It will be "all hands on deck" or, more appropriately, "in the pool" when Ollis' team opens play Sept. 7 hosting Salem International - the conference runner-up last fall. It's a test that Ollis' team is anxious to take.

"We're going to continue with our philosophy of aggressive defense and up-tempo offense," said the fifth-year coach. "We'll have the most speed we've ever had. We should have enough offensive threats to really spread the scoring around."

Ollis is also planning on continuing to build Monmouth's program with an eye on the future.

"We'll be young," admitted Ollis, whose team is 70 percent freshmen and sophomores. "Our goal is to grow. We'll play some really good teams this year and the opener with Salem is no exception. With so many young guys, we're going to be all about improving and getting better. We're moving forward and looking to continue improving for the future. We feel if we do the right things, and play the way we're capable, the scores will take care of themselves."