This past weekend the Hopkins men’s water polo team began their season with a triumphant 4-0 performance. Traveling to Annapolis, Md. to compete in the Navy Labor Day Open, the Jays defeated Washington & Jefferson College, Gannon University, Cal Lutheran University and La Salle University over the course of just two days.
The Jays benefited from a variety of strong performances this Labor Day. Senior goalie John Wilson totaled 39 saves on the weekend, while his co-captain Giorgio Cico added four goals and nine assists to his record.
The underclassmen also contributed largely to the Jays’ success. Notably, in the match against Washington & Jefferson, four freshmen earned their first career points in their collegiate debuts.
This week, we welcome a new addition to Colwell’s Court. With six assists and nine goals on the weekend, junior co-captain Josh Kurtz has earned the title of this week’s Athlete of the Week.
This offensive standout has been a consistent contributor to the water polo team’s success since his freshman year. In the 2015 season, Kurtz totaled 15 goals and 31 assists. It should come as no surprise then, that by the end of last season, Kurtz was ranked 12th in school history in career assists and 19th in career steals.
Kurtz thus entered his junior year a poised captain, primed to lead his team to victory.
Garnering three points (2G, 1A) in game one against Washington & Jefferson and a game-high four points (2G, 2A) in game two, Kurtz proved himself to be a formidable force on Saturday. Nevertheless, it was his performance the following day in the match against Cal Lutheran that stood out.
With a game-best and career-best five goals and seven points, Kurtz all but guaranteed the Hopkins team their third victory of the season. Just hours later, in game four versus La Salle, Kurtz culminated his weekend with an assist in the second period.
Kurtz sat down with The News-Letter to discuss how he felt about his performances this past weekend as well as discuss some of his goals for the future.
The News-Letter: What did the team do during August to prepare for the upcoming season?
Josh Kurtz: A week before we are supposed to show up for preseason, the team always meets up and plays water polo for a week so we can get back into shape and develop some team chemistry before being seen by our coach at Hopkins. We come back for preseason two weeks before school starts, which is when we start doing two practices per day to really get in shape for the season.
N-L: How have your responsibilities changed since being named captain?
JK: Now that I am a captain, I am much more accountable for setting an example for the rest of the team. You never want to ask your teammates to give something if you aren’t willing to do the same every day. Aside from that, I am now in much closer communications with the coach and am making sure that the whole team stays positive throughout the season.
N-L: After playing two matches on Saturday, how tired was the team going into Sunday’s matches against Cal Lutheran and La Salle? Is it difficult to play so many matches over just two days?
JK: We were completely exhausted going into the second day of the tournament. Especially because our first game was at 8 a.m. which meant we had to get up at 5:30 a.m. Nobody really felt 100 percent prepared to tackle another two games that day. Nevertheless, jumping in a pool will always wake you up for a game.
N-L: In Sunday’s match against Cal Lutheran, you totaled an impressive five goals and two assists. How did this accomplishment feel?
JK: It just felt really good that I was able to help out the team that much. The match against Cal Lutheran was supposed to be the hardest game of the weekend and we were all really tired so I was just glad I could contribute as much as I did for my team.
N-L: What does this 4-0 performance mean for the team as a whole?
JK: This means that we have the potential to have a really successful season ahead of us. We are really trying to make up for a rough season last year and now that the team this year knows what it feels like to come out on top after a hard weekend, we are more motivated than ever to train hard for our upcoming games.
N-L: Any personal goals for the remainder of the season?
JK: Personally, I want to keep getting in better shape so I can help out my teammates during important matches. However, what is always most important to us is keeping up team morale because we play our best when we are having fun and are all on good terms with each other. If we can keep getting faster and stronger in the water while [staying] enthusiastic about the sport, we will set ourselves up to do something great this year.
Kurtz and the Jays will be back in action next weekend when they travel to Princeton, N.J. for the Princeton Invitational.
