Winning can mean a lot of things to different people, but qualifying for the SCIAC playoffs is another level. To the Chapman men’s water polo team, their consecutive eight-win streak meant more than just victories. Seniors Hudson Pak and Everett Prussak have noticed a significant difference among their teammates, all thanks to their multiple wins. Despite breaking their streak after a devastating loss to Pomona-Pitzer in double overtime, Prussak and Pak noted many benefits that still came with their past wins this season.

Pak, a captain studying business administration, saw an immediate change in the team since the start of the season. The men’s water polo team started off playing against multiple Division I schools, including Princeton University. Through these matches, Pak and the team already knew what areas needed improvement coming fresh into their new season.

“Being able to come back, work on what we needed to work on shown by the Division I teams and fix that for playing teams that are more of our skill set, our area is definitely a lot of fun,” Pak said.

Prussak, a senior studying computer science, credits the eight-win streak to be a fix in defense. After suffering losses to Princeton and Claremont Mudd Scripps (CMS), Prussak noticed how the team flipped a switch and began training together as a unit.

“After our CMS loss, we noticed that there is a big hole in our defense, and the last few weeks were really focusing more on our defensive aspect of the game: running more drops, running correct coverages and pressing; just a lot more out of counterattacks and a lot more defense as well,” Prussak told The Panther.

To get where the team is at now was something that took almost four years to achieve. Pak recalls the lack of leadership and drive among his teammates in the beginning of his Chapman journey with the water polo team. However, the commitment to the sport brought the  community together and strengthened the bond and desire for something to gain.

In addition to improving team morale, the eight-win streak also gave the team an incentive to want to come to practice with an open mindset. With a common goal in mind, the team has been consistently showing up for practice, both physically and mentally.

“It’s satisfying to come to work everyday and realize some wins out of that. It’s not just coming and working every day and being like, ‘Oh well, we lost,’” Pak told The Panther. “It gets us ready for the next practice and being able to show up and be even more focused. What we are doing in practice is really coming out in games, and I think that's adding focus to the younger guys.”

Pak continued: “It’s a lot easier for them to come focused to practices instead of us having to get on them, on messing around or not going as hard as they should be. It’s definitely a motivation booster and a precedent for the rest of the season of being able to work hard.”

Head coach Eric Ploessel has also seen a significant change in the team’s mentality. After setting themselves up for success to secure a spot in the playoffs, the team itself has jumped into action to try and improve among themselves.

“This group has a lot of amazing leadership, and that’s really a big difference right now,” Ploessel said. “For the past few years, our younger players have led us in a lot of stats. Now, they are older and understand what it takes to win in this conference. They have played together awhile and understand what each other can do and have a great relationship out of the pool.”

According to Prussak, the team’s bond is what is going to get them into the playoffs, and even with the eight-win streak broken, he believes this is the team that will be able to go all the way this year.

“Building a good team culture and continually trying to get it better is the most important thing for this team,” Prussak said. “All the players are here, we have all the talent in the world here. Putting it together is the important part.”